Bond of Flame: Uzumaki Naruto
by SMFox1987
Summary: When the situation is dire, Naruto strikes a deal with the Kyuubi that could result in the destruction of Konoha. Naruto/FemKyuubi - M for language/violence/adult themes. Begins after the first Sasuke reunion.
1. The Beginning of the End

**Bond of Flame: Uzumaki Naruto**

**SMFox1987**

**Disclaimer: If you're dumb enough to believe that I own Naruto or any of it's characters, then slap yourself three times for being stupid. Naruto and all it's characters etc. are the intellectual property of Kishimoto sensei. **

**Zetsu: That is until we get ahold of him, Stupid author, thinking the good guys will win.**We won't let that..Hey...why is my body moving on it's own? **dances ballet**

**SMFox1987: **Don't jack with the power of the author...it's not of this world, and here...I am GOD!!

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**Chapter One - The Beginning of the End**

**"Damn you you worthless bag of flesh!"** screamed a booming voice. The creature the voice belonged to snarled viciously as it thrashed about behind the massive iron gates that held it back. The creature and one other were both in a massive dank room, reminiscent of a sewer if the foul water was any indication. The gate itself was breathtaking in it's own simplicity, having neither door nor lock and to the great irony of many, was held in place solely by a small white slip of paper in it's middle.

The other occupant of the room was a young male. His clothes were shredded in many places but to any onlooker, they would hardly even notice. To be sure, the damage was extensive, only further influenced by the thick coating of blood that seemed to permeate from every thread. Yet none of it mattered, it simply paled too much in light of the brilliant blue eyes that the boy seemed to have. His smile belittled the damage as the grin stretched from ear to ear across his face. The whiskers adorning his light baby fat cheeks gave it a 'foxy' appearance in what would become the trademark face of one Uzumaki Naruto. His golden sun kissed hair was the only part of his appearance that played testament to his actual condition. The red streaks in it, though no different than his hideously orange attire, could not be ignored like the rest. The blood seemed to run off and pool into the murky water below him with light drips as it slowly hardened into a crust-like form.

"Oh come on! It's not all that bad," the boy retorted in response to the creature.

The creature stopped it's thrashing at that as it swiped it's massive claws at the gate. The claws themselves pierced through between the iron portal only inches away from the blond, digging gashes into the floor that seemed to quickly repair itself as if some magical force prevented this place from being damaged. **"I AM THE KYUUBI NO KITSUNE! I WILL NOT BE SEEN AS WEAK! REMOVE THIS ACCURSED SEAL! USE MY POWER YOU DAMN FLEA-RIDDEN WHELP!"** the monster screamed. It immediately went back to it's thrashing against the gate, pounding away at it as if it would do any good, though they both knew it was futile.

The boy merely sighed in exasperation. They had been at it arguing back and forward for what seemed like an eternity. One would never even imagine the scenario that recently played itself out, leading to this little back and forward dawdle between the two. Nor would any comprehend the true severity of the situation. "Yea sure, I'll get right on that. Hold your breath for me while I do eh?" the boy replied, sarcasm clear in his voice.

The giant fox finally just stopped it's thrashing and plopped down on the wet concrete ground. It lowered it's head as far as it could till it was staring, eye to eye in front of the boy on the opposite side of the bars. **"You humans, it's sickening. You have no cause to be prideful. Your kind is weak, insignificant and pathetic. You would be nothing without me! Release this seal! Use my power and TAKE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS! With my power, we could accomplish anything. Your greatest dreams will fall in your lap. Whatever you want, whoever you want, whenever you want it! It would all be yours! Just release this damned seal. Release me and together we shall tear down all obstacles,"** the beast roared, it's voice slowly lowering with each syllable, yet still booming with all the might of the great beast it came from.

"I'm not letting you out fur ball. But I'll tell you what. Let's make a deal. Three rounds, best two out of three wins. We play Rock, Paper, Scissors. If I win, you do it my way, no more annoying 'Release ME!' crap. If you win...well, what do you want besides releasing the seal?" he inquired. He took a few steps back and leaned against the wall near the entrance of the massive room. His eyes traced over the massive beast as it seemed to ponder his question.

The demon, for it's part, was somewhat shocked. A remarkable feat in and of itself seeing as there was not much that could shock an ancient and powerful creature such as itself. Not only that, but the strongest of all demons, a creature of legend thought to be an act of god itself. A force of nature that came and went over the millinea, without cause, without remorse, and without survivors. But never, in it's ancient lifetime, had a human ever asked the Kyuubi what it wanted.

After a short while, when he received no reply, the blond was about to ask the question again when the Kitsune finally spoke up. "**If I cannot be released, then let me at least breathe the air. A partial release if you will." **After a brief pause, as the blond was about to sternly object, the demon continued, in an effort to explain the nature of it's request to the thick headed blond. **"Do not consider my intelligence on the level of you worthless mounds of flesh. I know what you meant. Perhaps it is you who should understand what I meant."**

At that the blond shut his mouth, no longer poised to insult the fox demon and gave a brief nod for it to explain. **"A partial release, is different from that of a full release. I shall have a body. A construct of my own chakra outside this feeble cell and this wretched seal. It will have no power, at least none that you do not give toward this release. As loathe as I am to compare it to one, but think of it as a leash. A seal will be around the neck of this chakra construct, limiting all action that you deem 'unfit'. It is far from my freedom, but if I am to be doomed to the nightmare of this seal, with naught but your stupidity as company, it's better than nothing,"** the demon finished.

Naruto looked deep in thought for a moment. _'I should probably think on this more, but what can he hurt? I mean, if he tries anything I don't like, I guess the seal would prevent him from finishing it. At least I wouldn't have to go into this disgusting sewer to talk anymore. Which begs the question...why the hell is my mind like a sewer?'_ he added as an afterthought. After dwelling on it for a few more moments he finally nodded in consent, "OK! I agree. It can't hurt anything and if you do anything I don't like, I just yank on the seal and you're back in your cage," he retorted finally after thinking for so long...at least long in terms of Naruto's standards.

Suddenly Naruto was struck by what could only be considered divine inspiration when he realized the fault in this plan. "Ummm...how are you going to play rock, paper scissors...paws are kinda hard to form into anything else...aren't they?" he queried dumbly. As if already anticipating this question, a dark red enveloped the already crimson fur of the massive demon. Soon his form could no longer be seen as the light enveloped everything entirely, devouring it in it's wicked glow. The light began to compress on itself and shrink. The smaller it got, the more human it looked and when the light finally died out, there stood one of the most beautiful woman Naruto had ever laid eyes on.

The woman had a fiery red mane of hair, stretching down the length of her back to the upper end of her perfectly round rump.

The delicious curves of her body accentuated her delicate looking form. Her smoothed peach skin seemed to radiate a light red glow, as if the power that she truly held were begging for release from the fragile form she had taken. Her eyelids rose to reveal two crimson orbs, slit in the middle with a black pupil in each one. The intensity of their gaze would be terrifying if it wasn't so captivating. As if a mere glance within their depths would hypnotize any onlookers. Her high cheekbones led down to a narrow, delicate chin, marred with the protrusion of two slightly longer incisors reminiscent of small fangs. They extended down to her soft fiery lips and highlighted the feral look granted by the three jagged whisker marks across each cheek. But all of this paled to what struck Naruto the most. She smirked as she realized the immediate effect her form had on the boy for there, behind the iron bars the fiery demoness stood, stark naked on top of the water the pooled at her feet.

Naruto immediately held his nose that threatened to propel him into the wall behind him. His willpower defying all odds, he looked up again and began to edge toward the bars. After a few steps forward, the blond could not take any more and screamed at the top of his lungs "PUT SOME CLOTHES ON JEEZ!"

**"What's the matter Naruto-kun. Don't you like to look at my body?" ** she smirked. As if to accentuate her statement, she reached up and perked up her 'assets' to draw attention to them. Unable to resist following the move, the blood in Naruto's nose gushed once more and he fought with all his might to keep it in.

Finally, having enough of the game, the Kyuubi's body flashed red. When the light died down again, she was revealed wearing a tight red kimono. Her beauty was still striking beyond words, the kimono following each and every curve of her luscious body, daring any and all to even try to look away. On each side of the Kimono lay a single orange fox etched into the soft fabric. Extending around from the back of each fox were a total of nine tails, wrapping the kimono as if cradling it's wearer in it's protective grasp. **"Now then, I believe we had a deal?" **the apparent demoness spoke after her transformation completed itself.

Naruto was in a state of shock. "The Kyuubi no Kitsune...was ...is...female?" he stuttered, trying to collect his thoughts. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," he quoted after a moment, much to the delight of the Kyuubi as she grinned wickedly at him.

**"Would you like to find out young one? I can show you a world of pain you could never even dream of if you wish to insult my gender," **the Kyuubi smirked again. **"Typical male ego. Believing every being of great power to be male. Be it Kami himself or the greatest of demons, you believe yourself to be superior in every way. Let's get this over with, I tire of this foolishness and I desire my minuscule scrap of freedom." ** she spat out somewhat venomously at the thought of any male being superior to her.

To say the irony was not lost on Naruto would be an understatement._ 'For someone who talks about others arrogance...hypocrite' _he thought humorously. The blond walked over to the gate and stood before the fox turned 'goddess' in his mind. The Kitsune reached her peach tinted hand out toward the bars as if to push through them, only to have her hand blocked by a blueish white glow that spread throughout the area she touched. She long ago realized that even in this condensed form, she could not escape the power of the Reaper seal that kept her locked away. She pulled her scarlet tipped fingernails, which Naruto now noticed resembled claws more than traditional nails, and assuming what could only be considered a battle stance if it weren't so comically out of place.

Naruto did the same as he stuck both his hands out, right leg braced behind him as if he needed the extra support. His left hand cradled his right which was now balled into a fist. His form mimicing that of the Kyuubi as they both immediately raised their hand and lowered it in sync. The process repeated itself again and on the third time down both of their right fists changed form to resemble one of the three required shapes of the challenge.

Naruto's hand formed a pair of scissors as his index and middle finger extended outward and snipped together, going up and down. The Kyuubi actually managed a small cringe when she realized that he had won the first round. Though the movement itself was simply too small for even the most skillful readers to notice she moved at all. Her own hand was flat and outstretched, forming a perpendicular right angle against her left hand that stood, still cradling the other, beneath it.

"I WIN!!" the blond haired fool shouted, grinning foxily as he bounced around on his side of the cage. He immediately recovered though and took his stance again. The Kitsune herself remained silent as she planned her next move, fearful of just how difficult this shred of hope she had acquired was to maintain. She could feel it slipping from her grasp, and if there was one thing the Kyuubi did NOT enjoy, it was the feeling of fear. It was simply too foreign to her. She was a mythological creature of unequivocal power. She did not know the meaning of the word fear. Yet here it was, prickling at her ever so slightly, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. She gritted her teeth inside her closed lips, unknown to the smiling observer on the other side.

The process of the game repeated itself, each hand going up and down again in sync, almost in slow motion to both the contestants. When the hands came down for the third time, they again both shifted forms. This time however, the Kyuubi's fist immediately resumed it's balled up shape. Her counterpart's however, did not.

Naruto's hand had once again taken the shape of a pair of scissors and he immediately frowned at the implications. The Kitsune grinned maniacally with the knowledge that she had come away from that round as the victor. The score now being one against one.

Both jailer and jailed trembled, in anticipation of what was to come. It would all come down to this. Everything about them, would change based on this final round. Either she would be free to some extent, away from this wretched sewer of his mind and this seal, or she would remain here until she died alongside her container, trapped in the putrid filth that her cell seemed to continuously spew.

They once again resumed their stances. The same form, the same process, and both hands went up and down together. Time seemed to freeze for the both of them as their thoughts raced, considering what would be the best course of action to take. On the third downward motion, both hands shifted again. The world stood still as both eyes gazed at their hands. One in shock, one in amusement. Both minds processing this change of events, and how their lives would change.

In the blonds still cupped hand, rested a pair of scissors. In the demoness's hands, rested a solid fist. The kitsune smirked devilishly as she raised her eyes to meet the sparkling blue ones of her counterpart. ** "What fool chooses the same hand three times in a row," **she snickered silently to herself.

The blond's mouth opened and closes, like a gaping fish out of water as it struggled to return to it's atmosphere. Shortly after, when he managed to gather his thoughts again finally, he asked the question that plagued his mind. "So how do we do this, and don't think for a second that I'm actually going to simply remove that slip of paper, even I'm not that dense," he spoke, the low tone of his voice clearly showing a slight touch of disbelief at the situation.

**"It's a simple process really. It will require three things to work. First of all, I shall need a body to transmute." **Naruto immediately paled at that and was about to voice his solid 'NO WAY' when the Kitsune silenced his oncoming voice. **"Ignorant flesh bag, even I know that you would not simply go off and kill one of your precious villagers, no matter how deserving of it they are. No, this will be a simple matter. You merely need to go hunting. Find a couple animals, any animals will do so long as they're total mass is relative to the amount I shall need for this body. Extra never hurts, but too few would result in deformity, and I will not tolerate such disrespect toward myself,"** she finished with a slight huff of arrogance that she seemed to radiate now.

Naruto could do little more than nod. Hunting was no problem, he was a shinobi after all. Survival training was given to all shinobi so they could survive if ever forced into such a situation that would call for it. Long term missions were nothing unheard of even to the gennin of the Hidden Leaf village."And the remaining requirements?" he asked, curiosity now clearly evident in his voice.

**"I shall require the use of my own chakra to fuel the transmutation. Two tails worth of my chakra should be enough, one to fuel the transmutation itself and another to keep the construct of chakra that holds the body together stable. The chakra will always be linked to you and this seal that binds me. Since the source of my power shall remain here behind these cold iron bars, it will constantly siphon from you through the link we share and into the construct. If at any time the construct falls apart, whether by disruption of the seal, or your own death, my consciousness will immediately be ripped from the construct and tossed back into this wretched cell. The body itself will also fall apart on itself. should that come to pass."** After her lengthy explanation she stared at the blond to see if he could even comprehend what she just said or if she would have to dumb it down to his own pathetic level. She sighed when she realized she would have to. _**'How did these flesh bags ever become so wide spread in this world' **_she thought mirthfully as she pondered just how to explain it better for the blond idiot before her.

Finally coming up with a solution she began to repeat her previous statement. **"My chakra will fuel the jutsu. It will be a constant process for as long as I am out there, continuously siphoning my chakra from inside you, into the body we are going to create for myself."** Naruto immediately began to nod in comprehension of what she was saying.

"That's not so bad, since it's your chakra, it will never run out...right?" he asked, and the Kitsune nodded in response. "But your chakra is clearly visible to the naked eye...wouldn't that kinda stand out having a giant red flow of demonic chakra flowing from me to you?" he questioned, hoping that he wouldn't have to walk around looking like an idiot for the rest of his life...a strange irony for someone who walked around in a hideous orange jumpsuit.that screamed 'HERE I AM!! THROW YOUR KUNAI HERE!'

**"No it won't be visible. The transfer itself will be direct and unnoticeable to all. Don't think of it like taking a hose of water and spraying it at a target. Instead, due to the nature of the seal itself and the seal that will be required for the construct, the transfer will be an instantaneous link from one point to another, almost as if the chakra itself were teleporting from this seal to the construct. As an added bonus, you will be able to influence the amount that is transferred, if you ever felt the 'need' to give me a little more of my own power. The same could work the other way should you feel the need in that pathetic hollow you call a mind, to reduce the amount. Though if you reduce it too much, the construct will fall apart as I said earlier. And that brings me to the third requirement,"** she bellowed somewhat haughtily at the thought of this buffoon in front of her having so much control over the situation. But freedom is freedom, one way or another, she wanted out of this hell-hole of a seal.

**"The final requirement will be a very unique seal that you will have to study and place around the bodies to be transmuted. I will guide you through the process of inscribing this seal, but it must be done on a smooth surface so that nothing can mar or damage the seal itself. The seal is quite large, ranging over a 25 foot diameter. It will have to be very precise and drawn in your own blood,"** she finished with a glimmer in her eye at the thought of how much blood he would have to spill to complete the seal.

The kyuubi jinchuuriki was a little taken aback by the last requirement. Seals were complex. At least, the more advanced ones were. Some were ridiculously simple, but even the moderate level ones were well beyond his comprehension. Not to mention how often he would have to prick his finger to keep it bleeding, Then again, looking at his current state of dress, perhaps it wouldn't be too difficult after all. The thought of using blood for the seal didn't really bother him too much. After all, blood seals are among the most common. Even the great summoning contracts use blood as a medium. But there was a darker side to the last requirement. Should the seal fail, or be done incorrectly at any spot, even a mere centimeter off, the consequences could be disasterrific to say the least.

With all that had gone on in his mind scape within the seal, he had almost forgotten of the situation in the outside world completely. The blond finally nodded in agreement before speaking up again. "Alright, but this will have to be done later, if you don't mind our present predicament requires our attention. I am loathe to admit it but do you think you could speed up the healing process, I think if you can fix my shredded leg I might be able to make a clean...scratch that...theres no such thing as a clean getaway from this, but I can at least escape before much more damage is done."

**"Very well, we shall continue this later. Now get out of my sight," **she grinned devilishly yet again as she waved her right hand and the blond seemed to be forcefully punted, by some invisible force, out of the room and out of his mind scape. As his eyes opened once again after what seemed like forever in his mind scape (though only a few seconds had passed in reality), the blond immediately cringed at the sight before him.

A lightly tanned fist was on a straight and narrow coarse for his face, speeding toward him with a fury that only an enraged Haruno Sakura could posses. "NARUTOOOOO!!!" she screamed as she continued to pummel into her idiot of a teammate, for reasons unknown to any capable of rational thought.

Suddenly, Naruto felt the chakra of the nine tails begin to focus solely into his leg, rather than spread all over. The broken leg that was once there, not set in place, immediately strengthened itself and as the young man felt power and movement return to him, he immediately bolted down the road, away from the enraged kunoichi.

Sakura merely blinked when she realized that her punching bag was no longer there. She immediately turned her head to try and catch a glimpse of him, only to see him far in the distance, running at full speed in an effort to get away from the pink haired demoness in disguise. She huffed and turned on her heels to leave the area, the cause of the wanton destruction she wreaked on the blond now nothing more than a lost memory...forgotten to the pages of history as another pointless fragment of that point in time. Little did either she or Naruto himself realize, that it was that moment that had changed both their lives in ways they could never imagine, for it was the start of the return for the greatest of the Bijuu - the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

But we all know that the real reason anything like this ever happened though. It happened because he's Naruto...and he just can't help doing stupid things.

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A/N: My first attempt at fanfiction. Hopefully it's not too awful, but I've had so many idea's poking my brain lately that I had to finally get one of them out and make some room in there. Don't have a beta, unsure if I'll attempt to get one or not. Next chapter shouldn't be too far ahead of this one, at least within the next week. As far as length goes, expect most chapters to be longer than this as this was just an introductory chapter. Expect laughter, blood, gore, and a whole lot of good times to come as the story unfolds and the life of Naruto will never be the same again.


	2. Bonds of Blood

**Bond of Flame: Uzumaki Naruto**

**SMFox1987**

**Disclaimer: YES!! It's finally MINE!! MWAHAHAHAHA!! I officially own Naruto, all of it's characters, and anything related to it.**

**SMFox1987: 'wakes up' ...DAMNIT!!! One day Kishimoto sensei...one day it WILL be MINE! 'Evil Laugh'**

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**Chapter Two - Bonds of Blood**

Naruto woke in his apartment early the next morning. The sun had forsaken him and not yet risen, and the treacherous alarm clock that offended his defenseless senses was dealt with in a swift and brutal manner. The young blond was not one to tolerate insubordination from his own tools.

"Five more minutes Sakura-chan," he snored as he gripped his few blankets and roughly drug them back over his head. The sharp jolt he felt in the back of his mind immediately countered the action as the memories of yesterday came flooding back to him. He remembered that he would have to get up early if he wanted to 'collect' these animals for the transmutation.

When he spoke with the Kitsune demoness within him before bed, they had formulated a plan. The trepidation he felt when they were done was not lost to him as he trudged through his small apartment, loathing the knowledge that he had to abandon his bed, his greatest companion. To many it would seem trivial, others would see it as trashy, Naruto however, saw it as a gift from Kami himself. A divine providence to rest his weary head whenever the need should come.

To him, the bed was a life-long friend. It wold never abandon him, it was always there for him, welcoming with extended open covers, eager for nothing more than to whisk him away from the brutality known as life and into the soft heaven of dreams. Or sewers in his case as he often found himself in the dank tunnels of the seal lately.

Naruto slid into the bathroom and stripped his blue and white striped pajamas to reveal his well muscled body, a reward for the harsh life that a shinobi must endure. It stood as a testament to just how hard the poor boy had worked. He immediately hopped into the small shower stall and turned on the crisp water. It tingled his skin as it poured across his naked form, shocking his system into fully waking itself before it turned to a steamy barrage of hot water. Naruto leaned forward and let it pool down his back as he thought about all that he would have to do today.

Despite what many would say on the subject, the young teen did have a brain. Granted, it hid itself away from the world for a good seventy-five percent of his life, but it was still there, ready to pounce at a moments notice should the situation find itself to be dire. And what could be more dangerous than dealing with an ancient demoness. Not only that, but aparrantly, the greatest of all demons, with a power unrivaled, the nine-tails itself.

It was a fun twist of irony to the blond. As if it were some hidden bloodline, his brain would always show up late, the last one to the party, to save the day and keep things going. He smirked at that thought, mentally comparing his brain to his ever-tardy sensei Kakashi...Kakashi had nothing on his brain in that department.

But none of this really bothered Naruto. He didn't mind that he wasn't the sharpest kunai of the bunch. He knew he had his own traits, ones that many would kill for. Each individual is unique in their own way, and he is in his own. Not to mention it was fun to have the title of 'most surprising' in his line of work. After all, in the world of the shinobi, those who are taken by surprise, are often the ones with the shortest lives.

As te water continued to pelt his back, head still leaned forward, Naruto went back to the thoughts of what he would have to do.

**FLASHBACK NO JUTSU**

**"Ahh the bag of flesh returns to honor his bargain. I must say, I'm impressed, there are few that would have the balls in the pathetic world of humans to deal with one such as myself." **The demoness bellowed, back in her large kitsune form, towering over the blond in front of her.

Naruto decided to plop himself down on his rump and lean against the back wall of the room, figuring that he would be here for a while. The feel of the water splashing almost sickening enough to make him jump back up. He immediately directed his eyes towards the creature and retorted, "I don't go back on my word, that is my nindo," he said with conviction.

The demoness chuckled at that. The poor fool just had no idea. To the kitsune, those of the more 'noble' code of honor often tended to be the easiest to manipulate. You see, the Kitsune was something of a puppet master in her own right. You don't exist through the eons as she had without learning a thing or two. Being a fox only heightened that desire and ability to pull the strings of those around her. Beyond the rafters of the theater, it was her kind who ruled the world, silently, and unknown to any just who was really behind the curtains.

**"Very well then, let us begin. The first part will require at least three moderately large animals. If you cannot acquire them, then many more smaller creatures should suffice, so long as the total mass is great enough for the body I will need," **she bellowed as she lowered her head to the ground and stared at the blond, locking eyes with him mid sentence and maintaining her cold gaze.

"Yea, I heard you the first time fur ball," he retorted, snickering at the result as the kitsune immediately slammed her massive paw into the gate at the insult. Her snarling died down as he continued. "I'll go hunting tomorrow, but I'm confused as to how I'm going to get a bunch of dead animals back to my apartment without being noticed."

**"Your intelligence is awe-inspiring. As usual, you have failed to comprehend the basics of your own profession. The brain power of you humans is ridiculous to say the least. How in the hell did I ever get sealed away by a pathetic flesh bag like that Yondaime I'll never know,"** she boomed, raising her head again in a huff of arrogance that only one such as herself could maintain.

Naruto lowered his head at that comment and sighed. He was tired, hurt, and really didn't feel like arguing with the bastard of a fox before him. So Naruto did the one thing that none thought possible, he bit his tongue and remained silent.

The kitsune immediately stopped her arrogant chuckle when she realized the boy before her was quiet. It was as if the entire world had just came to a screeching halt as the order of the universe re-aligned itself at the shocking development. Uzumaki Naruto...had just shut up. Babies around the world screamed in protest as the dark shadow of ill-omens fell upon the world, threatening to swallow it whole. **"What, no reply? I guess you're even smarter than I gave you credit for. You're IQ must be above that of a small bug after all," **she snickered to herself. It was almost horrifying to behold. Somehow, to Naruto, a snicker just didn't belong on the face of a enormous nine tailed demon fox...it was just too unnerving.

After all her snickering was finished, the demoness finally continued her lecture and explained to the blond that he would simply have to wake up early and go under cover of night. But there was another problem that had to be addressed as well.

**"There will be two seals that you will have to use to proceed. The first seal will be the one we spoke of before, but seeing as we'll be doing this in that pathetic hovel you call home, we'll have to use another to suppress the effects of my chakra." **At this, Naruto could only look up in confusion for a moment. Seeing his state of mind, the fox began to elaborate.

**"My chakra is powerful you moron. This village trembles at the mere memory of me. What do you think would happen if they felt the shred of my power that two tails carries. I'm well aware of the life you have lived with the privilege of having me sealed inside you, and I have no desire to die from either your ignorance or that of your village. If the villagers were to feel my power, a mass hysteria would ensue. Shortly after, when the panic abated itself, a rallying cry would ensue and they would demand your head,"** she said in a dark tone that left no room for argument. Neither of them wanted to die, if there was one thing they could agree on, it was that.

**"As such, we shall also require a barrier seal that shall be placed around that wretched hovel. The seal shall suppress the overall influence and power of my chakra and allow us to proceed without interruption from any other flesh bags," **she finished finally. The kitsune finally decided to lay down as her massive body plopped onto the ground. She crossed her two front paws and waited for his reply with eager anticipation. Oh yes, she could taste the crisp air already. Her freedom was on the edge of the horizon. But she would be patient. Time was not an issue for the demoness and though her arrogance and rage left doubt that patience was within her possession, she did indeed have it. Her patience was unrivaled if the situation called for it and here in this dank sewer of the Reaper seal, she had all the time in the world.

**END FLASHBACK**

Naruto shut off the water and stepped out of the shower stall to his eagerly awaiting towel. He left his hair and face wet and decided to let it dry in the cool morning air when he left the apartment. He swiftly stepped into a spare set of his usual orange attire and slipped out the door.

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Five hors later, with the morning sun rising high into the sky on it's way to it's peak, the blond jinchuuriki stood in his apartment again, the smell of dead flesh tearing at his nose. It was sickening to his poor senses. The fifteen year old boy was currently etching the outlines of his apartment in a series of blood seals, carefully etching them to meet the specifications of the kitsune. The barrier seal wasn't too difficult. Though it had to be spread around the entire room along the outer edges of the primary seal for the transmutation, it was done with wide characters and kanji, nothing compared to the complexity of the other one he would have to inscribe on his floor.

The blond had to clear his entire living room and part of the kitchen to make room for the seal, and even then, it barely fit inside the room. The carcass's of the animals he had hunted earlier rested in the center of the room, piled together in a sickening display of flesh and fur. He had found three deer, two rabbits, and ironically enough, the fire lord's wife's cat. When he saw the cat, he simply couldn't help himself. If only the world knew of his deed, he would be a hero of the leaf and all gennin's would worship the ground he walked on for ridding them of the menace known as 'Tora'.

After another two hours, a lot of grumbling, and four cups of ramen, the blond had finally finished the barrier seal. He felt slightly winded at the loss of blood. If it weren't for the damned fox and her healing powers, he may very well have come close to passing out by now. But the blond knew better. The inner seal for the transmutation was grueling in and of itself, and he would have to etch the seal in pencil first, then marker, in order to ensure that he did not screw the pattern or kanji up. After all that was done, he would have to follow up by etching over it with his blood to complete the seal. All in all, he was glad he had the weekend off. This seal would more than likely take the rest of his day up.

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Six hours later, and the whisker faced boy found himself outside his apartment, making his way to the single greatest place in the world, Ichiraku Ramen. As the blond entered the small ramen stand he bounced in anticipation. "Oi, Ohayo Ayame-chan. Three miso please," he bellowed, a happy-go-lucky bounce in his voice that the young women couldn't help but return with a smile. Naruto had this effect on many people. It was infectious, his smile. She immediately passed the order on to the old man in the back who got to work on their best customer's order.

The young woman walked up to the counter and leaned over close to Naruto, ready to engage in a friendly chat with the young man as he was the only customer in there at the time. She immediately frowned when she noticed how pale his face seemed compared to it's usual look, as if the life had been sucked out of the poor boy. "Naruto-kun, what happened?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Meh just working hard Ayame-chan, nothing to worry about!" he sheepishly replied as he rubbed the back of his head. As if on cue, his skin seemed to recover a trickle of it's color as he laughed and she couldn't help but smile. In return.

Before she could say another word another customer walked into the stand and patted the young man on the back. If there was one person in the village who could understand Naruto best, it was none other than Akimichi Chouji, his fellow ramen connesur. It was as if they were kindred spirits in that department. While many would criticize the blond on his dietary habits, the young Akimichi embraced it alongside him. "Ohayo Naruto-san," he spoke happily, eager to order his meal and enjoy his brief break from training.

Ayame quickly took his order and went to the back to help her father prepare, as she always had to do so when these two were here together. It was simply too much for one old man to handle alone.

"Eh, Chouji, where's Shikamaru?" his blond counterpart asked him once he settled himself down on a stool. He happily looked over to his friend before replying in a cheerful voice that almost matched the blonds.

"Ino," he said. The one word reply would almost be confusing if it weren't such a clear answer to those who understood it. Shikamaru was being harassed by one Yamanaka Ino, most likely for being too lazy or some other pointless dribble that she felt a need to pester him for. The blond banshee that was Ino was scary, even to Naruto. No where near the level of terror extracted from Haruno Sakura, but close enough.

Their food arrived shortly after and both ramen addicts immediately began to dig in. It was an unhealthy display for any onlookers, but to the two who owned the stand, it was nothing short of a compliment. Knowing that these two enjoyed their food immensely brought joy to them and they couldn't bring themselves to question the eating habits of such loyal friends and customers.

As Naruto gulped down his noodles by the mouthful, a sudden fierce killer intent washed over him. He immediately froze, noodles half sticking out of his mouth as the inside of said orifice was completely full of the substance. He turned around on his stool to stare into the glaring eyes of his one original remaining teammate, Haruno Sakura.

"Naruto-kun...you ran away yesterday before we could finish our lesson," she gritted out through clenched teeth as she took a step towards the now cowering blond, noodles dripping from his mouth quickly being inhaled.

"S..Sakura-chan! I..I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-," he was cut off just as suddenly as he started his stuttering reply.

"I believe we were in the middle of discussing why you were in the womens bath-house the other day?" she said. Her tone seemed to grow darker and darker with every syllable.

"Naruto-kun," gasped Ayame. "You didn't really did you?" she asked with a slight blush on her face, showing embarrassment at the very idea of being caught in the bath by her favorite customer.

"N-NO!" he screamed in an effort to respond to the accusations. "It was an accident, I didn't mean to land th-," he was cut off again as Sakura bopped him over the head with her monstrous strength.

"No excuses!" she screamed as she reached down to the now floored Naruto only to grip him by the neck of his orange suit and pull him back to a half standing, half slumped over position before her. She immediately reeled her arm back to sock him again when she realized the color of his skin. "Naruto-kun, what happened, you look like you've lost a lot of blood!"

The blond hero immediately adapted his best 'mask' as he slipped his game face on. He would need every ounce of his willpower if he were to convince Sakura that nothing was wrong without leading her to suspicion. "Nahh, I was just feeling a little off today Sakura-chan! It's nothing really!" he grinned out happily. Warning bells immediately clicked when he realized his screw-up. Sakura wasn't that stupid, she knew about the Kyuubi, and it's healing capabilities. The fact of the matter was that Naruto had never been sick a day in his life thanks to the bastard fox inside him. Though it was a small consollation prize for the life he was subjected to as a child.

Sakura for her part, was a little shocked. Naruto had just blatantly lied to her face. Her worry immediately made it's presence known on her face as her thoughts raced through her head to the reason. "Naruto-kun, are you all right?" she asked, her previous rage now dissipated into the wind and replaced with care that only a loyal friend could posses.

"Hai Sakura-chan, no worries!" he replied with a foxy grin that bellied his fear and anxiousness at the prospect of what was soon to happen. Though his answer did little to quell Sakura's worry, it did abate it somewhat when she saw that familiar grin on his face. It was simply...infectious, as if it could calm the greatest storms and fear. It radiated a feeling of warmth and confidence that few could match.

With that said, the kunoichi released him to return to his food and she sat down at his side, opposite of Chouji who had watched the seem with mild amusement, never once stopping in his ramen driven feast. The three of them talked for a short while before Naruto and said his goodbyes to his friends and the two Ichiraku who stood behind the counter, waving as he left. "See you tomorrow Naruto-kun," Ayame shouted as he left the stand and proceeded back to his apartment.

Once he ascended the stairs to his home and entered the room, he immediately locked the door and prepared himself to get back to the grueling task at hand.

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It was now close to midnight. The circular seal in the middle of the room only lightly lit up in the soft glow of the lights of his apartment stood as a testament to his hard work. Naruto admired the seal and it's remarkable intricacy, his eyes following around it's great circumference. The inner seal itself was divided into three parts. The outer seal, which was fairly wide in itself, 10 feet wide forming a big '**O**' shape inside the barrier seal. in the middle in a 5 foot empty and clear space, lay the pile of animal bodies, their stench now almost unbearable to the young blond. Halfway through the night he had to get a clip to pinch his nose shut and save his sanity. But he knew it couldn't be helped. He couldn't risk anything messing up the seal by carrying the bodies over the seal instead of just drawing the seal around them. On the far side of the seal, close to where Naruto's bed used to lie, which was now stacked in the hallway against the wall, was a single open spot at the edge of the seal. That is where he would half to stand. Just in front of that open spot, were two small diagrams seperate from the rest of the seal. Unlike the rest of the seal, these two symbols looked nothing like the inscribed kanji and characters that twisted themselves around the rest of the seal. These two spots were designed in the likeness of a fox. The other next to it, was in the familiar form of a human. The fox had nine lengthy tendrils that stretched from it's body towards the human where they wrapped around him before extending towards the center of the seal and directly into the pile of bodies.

Naruto sighed as he walked over and stood in his designated place in the small open circle. He knelt down and placed his hands on the two images of the fox and human before reaching deep inside himself, and finding himself once again before the form of the Kyuubi, who was once again in the form of a woman. **"I assume it is time?"**she asked, unable to hide her anticipation of what was to come.

"Yea, yea, just send the chakra already and let's get this over with," he retorted, tired from the loss of blood and fatigue that was beginning to envelop him. The demoness smirked and immediately her form glowed red. The aura extended like a gaseous cloud from her body and stretched towards Naruto. As it traveled it began to twist and shape itself into the form of a giant red fox's head, maw open and gaping to devour whatever was in it's path. The blond closed his eyes as the fox head closed in on him, maw enveloping him and swallowing him whole.

The room immediately flashed in a burst of red light. The barrier seal activated and glowed in a brilliant green light, fueled by the chakra Naruto had placed in it earlier to fortify the seal. That had taken quite a lot out of him, but it was necessary to counter the force of the Kyuubi's chakra that the inner seal would require. The red aura immediately swirled around Naruto wrapping around him protectively before forming the outline of a fox, two boiling liquid tails sprouting from the rear of the aura. His features immediately took on that of his demon counterpart, fangs growing more pronounced, whiskers extending and becoming more feral, and most noticeable of all, his eyes turned into slit pupils, glowing a crimson red to match his inner demon. The hands placed on the inner seal began to sparkle with the red chakra, and the seal itself began to glow a blood red hue. The glow slowly extended, following the intricate etchings of the seal and slowly spiraling around the circle, steadily making it's way along the fox's tails towards the center. Once it reached the middle and the last parts of the seal began to glow, the room exploded in a burst of red chakra. The bodies in the middle began to burn in themselves as the red aura enveloped them, raising them from the ground and twisting them. The bodies themselves tore apart in a grotesque display that made Naruto want to hurl, even in this demonic form where the Kyuubi had a little control over his senses and desires.

After a few moments of the bodies tearing themselves apart, just as Naruto was almost at his limit, they began to reform themselves. The bones of the many creatures contorted and snapped together in a sickening display and began to take the shape of something clearly humanoid in nature. Soon after it was complete, the muscles themselves began to twist and form, stretching along the many bones with a disgusting squelching sound as the meaty flesh took shape. Soon afterwards, when the body was done forming said tissue, it began to form a skin coating over the body. It slowly spread from the middle of the chest and covered the rest of the body and before long, there stood a clearly defined woman. The hair and other particles such as nails and such developed last. Her fiery mane extended down her back in an identical form to the one Naruto had seen within the seal. The final touch on the fiery goddess were the pronounced jagged whisker marks, trademarked to the fox, that stretched along her delicate and slender cheeks.

She stood there in the center of the seal, a few remaining pieces of the bodies they had used being burnt away by the force of the remaining red chakra. Her eyes darted around as she took in the newfound feelings that enveloped her. Her grin extended when she looked towards the still feral and kyuubified Naruto that stood at the other end of the seal. The seal itself started to slowly twist in on itself. It began to shrink as it twisted in on itself, the lines seemed to grow closer and closer as it spiraled until it reached the feet of the demoness. It began to crawl up her skin and wrap itself around her before settling to rest on her neck, the final result resembling a choker wrapped around her neck. Though it could clearly be seen, it was smooth to the touch, as if it weren't even there.

Once the whole process was said and done, the Kitsune smirked and inhaled a deep breath, basking in the scent the bodies of the animals left behind. "It's good to be free," she spoke. The devilish laugh that followed was not lost on Naruto as his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water yet again. The most painfully obvious thing about the entire situation to him being that the kitsune was, once again, stark naked before him. The pool of blood that rocketed from his nose finished the job and blood loss carried the poor young man into blissful unconsciousness. He lay there sprawled out on the floor as the kitsune walked over to his body. She hefted him up on her delicate shoulders, her small frame deceptively hiding the monstrous power within, then proceeded to carry him away from the spot on the floor. She then moved over and pulled the mattress that was standing at attention in the hallway, leaning slightly against the wall, and pulled it back to it's original position and pushed it flat upon the ground. The demoness then went back to her container and drug him over to the bed before tossing him on it and laying down next to him, slightly tired by the wave of sensations this new body carried, she pulled the blanket that covered the bed up over their bodies and drifted off to the wonderous sleep that awaited her. A whole new world was waiting for her, and her many plans were now starting to take place. She grinned wickedly one last time before falling into a deep slumber, anticipating the day to come.

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A/N

**SMFox1987:** Hello again. I went ahead and did the second chapter. I know it isn't as long as I had hoped, but I want them to slowly extend as the need to appears. You'll notice that now that she is on the outside, her voice will no longer be bold, but rather, a regular tone and form. Not sure when the next update will be, but most likely soon seeing as this just started and I haven't had a chance to get a road block like many writers do at later periods of a story. As for pairings since someone asked, I am unsure whether or not this will be NaruxKyuubi. I am honestly unsure of any pairings at the time. The story simply hasn't developed enough for me to say, and something like that would clearly effect the outcome. So we'll just wait and see I guess grins evilly. Can't wait for poor Naruto to wake up now eh?

**Jiraiya: **Just admit it, you're a pervert like me laughs. You can't fight the power of the dark side. JOIN ME! And together we shall conquer this world in a perverted and twisted fashion!

**Tsunade: **JIRAIYAAA!! I'll kill you YOU FILTHY PERVERT!!

**Jiraiya: **Err..I think I hear my research calling me! LATER!!!

**SMFox1987**: 'sweatdrops' Aren't they a little old to be acting like that? 'hides when Tsunade turns and glares at him'


	3. Bonds of Hatred

**Bond of Flame: Uzumaki Naruto**

**SMFox1987**

**Disclaimer: If Naruto were mine, the Kyuubi would be my love slave, Naruto wouldn't have spent two and a half years sitting on his arse doing nothing, and Sasuke would at least show some signs of heterosexuality.**

**SMFox1987: Of course, if I owned Naruto, the Yondaime wouldn't be dead...he was just too awesome to kill dangit! And then none of these events would have happened anyways.**

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**Chapter Three - Bonds of Hatred**

Uzumaki Naruto awoke that morning with a headache from hell. It seemed as if the buzzing in the back of his brain simply refused to let him continue his restful slumber, despite the comfort of the two soft pillows he had nuzzled against. The warm, mash mellow soft bundles of fluff seemed to generate an intense warmth that called his name to him in silence, enticing him to go back to sleep and just never bother waking again. And then the buzzing stopped and Naruto's eyes shot open.

His brain seized up in the knowledge that..he didn't have two pillows. Another startling thought struck him afterwards, pillows don't generate heat. For some strange reason he also couldn't seem to remember even going to bed. The last thing he remembered was...

Naruto's head turned slightly and his face was now fully enveloped in the two fluffy pillows he had been snuggled against. He slowly brought his head back away from the fleshy mounds that he now knew them to be and after a brief pause...fell briskly back onto the bed in blissful unconsciousness.

The demoness he was snuggled against suddenly sat up at the slight tremor his collapse had caused on the mattress. Her crimson eyes shot open and she glanced around. Upon seeing the state of her blond container, she quickly deduced the cause and grinned maliciously with thoughts of torture. Humans were so simple minded to her. The power of the flesh held sway over most all their actions, a weakness in and of itself.

The kitsune let out a wide yawn as she stretched her newfound limbs to their fullest. 'It feels good to breathe again. Even in the darkest cells of the world, there is still air to breathe. but that damnable seal was far worse than any cell could ever be,' she thought in annoyance. But all that was done now, she was free to roam again, still tethered to the blond by the seal, but with a much longer leash.

As she looked at the blond once more she took notice of a few startling developments. It seemed that the constant channeling of her chakra was keeping the boy's features locked in a cross between his regular, and those of his feral form. His canines retained their length and sharpness and his facial structure was more taut. The whisper marks remained slightly lengthened and enlarged though no where near as much as when he heavily drew on her chakra. She actually felt pleased with these developments. Not only would it make her container slightly stronger, but she might even be able to use it to her advantage at some point. It would be a simple matter to cover up the few features that needed it though. It wouldn't do for the world to see him like this after all, at least, not within this wretched village. With a final glance at the blond, the demoness hopped off the mattress and explored the apartment.

Despite her familiarity with the place, it was strikingly different from this new point of view. As much a difference as watching something through a TV screen and seeing it with your own eyes. The feelings the walls evoked were much stronger as the various senses tingled and began to work, like freshly repaired machinery. She was just grateful that the transmutation was able to form her limbs from scratch without the need to build the muscles up. The sealed kitsunei had no desire to go through muscle therapy just to be able to move around. She continued down the hallway to the first door on her left which happened to be the bathroom.

The demoness stared longingly at the shower stall, craving the feeling of hot water pelting down her delicate features. She immediately jumped into the stall and cranked the two knobs, waiting for the water expectantly. It had been a long time since she felt the tender drizzle of the hot water streaming down. This was one of the few inventions that these pathetic humans actually did a good job on. She let it caress her skin and drip down the length of her body, just standing there, leaning forward in a fashion not unlike what Naruto himself often did. Speaking of the idiot, she began to wonder how things would proceed from here. Obviously she had no intentions of remaining tied to her container, but to maneuver around those bonds was a tricky feat in itself. As much as she hated to admit it, he held all the keys to this bondage she found herself in.

"Damn Yondaime," she muttered as she found back the urge to shatter the stall around her. To the kitsune, it was an embarrassment. The greatest and most feared being in existence on this plane, the queen of the Bijuu and the top bitch in all things associated, was bound to a pitiful mortal. Her powers were stripped from her and locked in a cell, and day after day, she had a constant reminder or just how far she had fallen. Revenge was the only thing she could think of whenever she thought of that despicable man who did this to her.

The red heads's grin widened to impossible proportions when a sudden thought struck her. She felt foolish that she didn't realize it before in all the years of her bondage. An image of the Yondaime flashed in her mind and she couldn't help but compare it to the likeness of Naruto. 'But it couldn't be...could it?' she thought. _'But then again, if it is true...' _She let the thought dangle in the air around her as that piece of information began to sink into her brain. Her thoughts of revenge began to wrap around it and the possibilities seemed endless. What better form of revenge could she have then taking the very child of the man who sealed her? The kyuubi no kitsune began to laugh at that prospect. But it quickly ended as she turned off the water of the shower and stepped out of the stall.

_'Proof, there must be some proof. These filthy humans are fond of their historical records. There must be something about it somewhere in this village.'_ The thought was sobering to her gleeful mood. She would have to make sure before she decided to put any effort into such a plan. The idea of ripping this village to shreds had not left her once in all the time of her imprisonment, but the possibility of striking at the heart of her most hated enemy was more than enough to put her other plans on hold. After all, destroying this village would be fun, but dealing with his child would be an added bonus that the demoness could not resist. It was like a dangling piece of meat in front of her starving mouth. Her nostrils could smell the fragrance of just how succulent that piece of meat would be. Revenge in it's darkest form was always a dish that no demon could resist.

Forsaking the use of the towel the kitsune merely began to shake her fiery mane and body, as if some dog that just had it's bath. The water flung all over, leaving her still slightly damp in most places, but nowhere near the sopping wet that she was before. She opened the door and walked back towards the living room and the now awakening blond. "Good, you're awake. We have a few things that must be discussed if this is to remain-" she began, only to stop when she noticed the blond boy's eyes. They were a still a strikingly blue color, but rather than their normal shape, they had a slitted pupil in the center._'Even better, though it will be more painful to cover up now. I know I'll be able to use this at some point,'_ she mused as she stared at the blond.

Said blond was having his own thoughts and problems to deal with at the moment. Standing before him, was a naked goddess. Her skin was moist and slightly dripping on the floor below her. Her red mane was matted to her form as it snaked it's way around her body, sticking to the flesh like a powerful magnet. It still had a silky texture and shine to it but it's deep color spoke of a depth that no light could ever hope to reach. In short, she was a walking wet dream. And he just slept next to her, snuggling his face into her moderately generous assets.

The jinchuuriki put his head in his hand while the other hand began to massage the side of his head. The smell of this room was prodding at him even worse than before. The smell was almost overwhelming to his senses. "Could you just put some clothes on please!" he yelled, cheeks fighting off the red blush that crept it's way around his face at his previous thoughts. The blond jumped to his feet and ran to the bathroom before coming back with a pile of clothes that he threw at the demoness.

"They should fit you since you're about the same size as me, just please put them on already!" he cried. If the crimson eyed woman didn't know any better, she would almost feel insulted at his protests. But then again, this was Naruto after all...naive to a fault and too damn honorable for his own good. The kitsune huffed as she began to put on the spare orange clothes.

The T-shirt he had brought was a bright orange with the traditional red spiral on it's back. It was fairly plain, but comfortable none-the-less. The shorts were similar in that they too were the hideous bright orange. They stretched their way down the length of her legs stopping at her knees and were made of a jean like material. It looked as if someone had taken a pair of blue jeans and just spray painted them. There was simply no way any store could produce such an article, it was simply too hideous to think it could possibly sell. Little did she know, she wasn't far from the truth of the matter.

"You should be honored to see my body like this. Were I not bound to you through this seal, I would have ripped your heart out for such an act," she said pridefully as she ran her slender fingers through her crimson mane. "But that isn't important at the moment. There were...unknown side effects to the process as I'm sure you've noticed.

"Huh?" the blond said intelligently, his brain just not comprehending what she said. As an afterthought, he then realized that it was surprisingly bright in the room and began to wonder if the demoness had changed the lights or something in his sleep. Or perhaps he was under the effects of an illusion. That last thought put him a little bit on edge as his eyes glanced around the room.

"Moron," she muttered quietly and mostly to herself. "I'm sure by now you've noticed how bright things seem, or how the scent of this room seems to have magnified? The constant tug of my chakra through your system has left you in a semi-transformed state. Your senses are being heightened as if you were simply using my chakra like they normally would when you drew on my power before. Along with these sensabilities, your form has changed slightly as well to match it. Surely you looked in the mirror when you were in the bathroom?" she asked at the end. The red head let out a long, drawn-out sigh when she realized that he hadn't. She grabbed the blonds arm and forcibly drug the blond to the bathroom before standing him in front of the mirror.

To say he was shocked was an understatement. The shock soon passed and gave way to fear at the implications of how this would affect his life and keeping this entire ordeal behind closed doors. "Genjutsu," the kitsune spoke when she saw his fear. The one word answer confused the blond for a moment before he realized what she meant by it.

"I suck at genjutsu! I can't maintain something to cover this!" he yelled in response, clearly disturbed that she hadn't given him a more acceptable answer.

The kitsune suddenly flew into a swift flurry of hand seals from behind the blond. Seeing the movement in the mirror, the blond turned to ask what she was doing when her right hand stretched forward and latched onto his forehead. The blond felt a wave of pain drown out his senses as a red seal began to stretch across his forehead. The seal was shaped like a wavey line beginning from a spiral directly at the center of his forehead. The wavy lines stretched until they touched each eye before branching off and circling down his cheeks to his whisker marks. The lines then branched off to touch each of the three jagged marks. Lastly, a line sprouted from the closest whisker on each side of his cheek and stretched for his gaping mouth.

After a moment the pain passed and the fox demon removed her hand from his forehead. The lines of the seal immediately began to fade, taking with it the many features the surge of Kyuubi's chakra had created. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!!" he screamed, about to go on a tirade against the demoness before him.

"**Demonic Illusion Seal**," she replied in a cool tone of voice as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's what demons use to suppress the effects of their chakra on their own human forms should they choose to do so. It is a seal placed on your forehead that is connects all the features that come from the demonic chakra and suppresses them before fading to nothing on your skin. The seal can be retracted or put back in place at any time with a simple hand seal and a mental command. Now stop your incessant bitching, we have a lot to discuss." With that said, the demoness walked out of the room and back towards the mattress where she decided to plop down and stretch her muscles once again.

The blond looked in the mirror once more to see his features had returned to normal once again. Satisfied, he walked out to join his prisoner. She was now laying flat on the bed, stretched out to the fullest that her new body could manage. Seeing him return to the room, the kitsune was about to speak once more when a loud knock was heard at the door. She growled in frustration as she hid herself on the other side of the mattress, nestled between the wall and the bed. "Oi, Naruto! Are you there?" came the familiar voice of Nara Shikamaru. Naruto ran to the door and with one fluid movement, unlocked it and opened the door to reveal the young chuunin. "Tsunade-sama wishes a word with you," he said in a bored monotone that clearly spoke that words that he didnt: 'troublesome'.

After a moment of registering the sight before him, the young Nara took a deep whiff..as if not trusting his nose. "Oi, Naruto, what died?" he asked in what seemed like genuine interest.

The blond in question began to laugh sheepishly as he fought to find an excuse that could satisfy the genius before him. "Bad food," he replied before rubbing his stomach to get his point across. Being the best friend of not only an Akimichi, but Chouji in particular, Shikamaru immediately nodded in comprehension and motioned for the blond to follow him. "Hey Shikamaru, I'll be out in a second, there's something I need to finish first. Wait at the bottom of the stairs for me eh?" he laughed and rubbed the back of his head once again before rushing back inside and closing the door, locking it behind him.

"Make a kage bunshin," the Kyuubi replied to his unasked question as she stood from her position behind the bed. Naruto looked at her curiously before she provided the antidote for his ignorance. "You really are stupid. Fine, let me explain. The kage bunshin is a technique that creates an identical copy of ones self, dividing the chakra between the user and the clone. You might have noticed throughout your countless usage of the technique that every time a clone dissipates, you seem to gain a new perspective on the things around you?" she asked and waited patiently for his answer.

The blond scrunched his face up in thought as he placed his right hand on his chin, the act of it giving him a 'thoughtful' look. When no reply came, the Kyuubi decided that experience would be his teacher. "Make a kage bunshin and have it follow me into the other room. You stay in here and wait for my return," she continued. Nodding in response the blond formed the oh so familiar ram seal before softly speaking the words **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."** With a puff of smoke his clone appeared beside him and followed Kyuubi to the bathroom while he himself went to sit on the bed. A moment later the blond clutched his precious soldiers protectively as the image of a foot thrust forward on a collision coarse to his men came flashing through his mind. The kitsune walked into the room with a satisfied smirk and asked the blond what happened in the bathroom.

The blond's eyes lit up in understanding when he realized what she meant. The kage bunshin passed it's memories on to him before dissipating. He nodded before asking another question. "Do I send the kage bunshin to the Hokage or leave it here for you to explain some things?" he queried. The kitsune immediately replied that he should do the latter.

"At this time it would be best to avoid any suspicious activities and to go yourself. Not to mention that gorilla of a hokage might take offense to the action," she responded with a vain sense of superiority as she unknowingly perked up her 'assets' once again, as if the action itself was a means to her superiority. Naruto immediately burst into a fit of laughter at the thought of the hokage as a gorilla. He mentally visualized the old bat as a furry beast which only served to heighten his laughter.

Suddenly remembering his purpose and the waiting Shikamaru outside, he formed the ram seal again and another kage bunshin popped into existence. He nodded to the kitsune and clone before unlocking and rushing out the door again.

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As the two of them left the apartment, Naruto turned to Shikamaru and began his tirade of questions. "So what's ba-chan want me for?" he asked, the childish pout on his face showing that he wasn't planning on doing much today on his day off.

"Not sure," the pineapple haired teen replied before rubbing his head at the blonds loud voice. "I heard Kakashi-sensei was up and moving finally. The fact that Tsunade-sama is at the hospital means the only logical reason would be to discuss something with him. Troublesome adults," he added at the end before covering his ears in preparation of the blonds oncoming outburst. Much to his surprise, one never came and Naruto merely replied in a normal, low tone voice.

"I hope Kakashi-sensei is better then," he responded. There was an unusually uncharacteristic quality to his low voice. If Shikamaru didn't think it was utterly impossible, he would have thought the blond was sad about something. Probably thinking about that damned traitor again,

"Hey, Naruto," came Shikamaru's reply. He was about to try and cheer his friend up when the sun kissed jinchuuriki startled him with a sudden outburst that he was under the impression would not to come.

In a booming voice Naruto started ranting about how "Of course he's better. Ba-chan is looking after him and he is Kakashi-sensei after all. Nothing could bring him down!" he shouted. To anyone else, the fool might seem over confident and happy about things. To Shikamaru of course, who was far from a fool, he seemed to be forcing his words. They both knew that Kakashi would be fine, seeing as it was just a case of severe exhaustion from the Suna mission they had undergone. This led Shikamaru to countless other prospects, particularly on his friends changed attitude. Naruto was worried about something else, he concluded. Of course, Shikamaru being the lazy bum he was, it was simply too troublesome to delve any farther into it and they continued the rest of their walk towards the hospital in silence.

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Back in the room the clone sat against the wall nearest the door and sighed. The fiery red head, now once again sitting on the bed, decided to speak up. "The first order of business is to cover my presence," she said as she raised her head to look at the 'flesh bag's carbon copy. If it weren't so damned useful, she might actually be sickened at the thought of multiple Naruto's.

Naruto's shadow clone nodded in response before asking the most obvious question he could think of, "How?"

The kitsune furrowed her brow in thought for a moment. This was the tricky part of everything. All her plans hinged on remaining unknown to the eyes of the world. _'I could simply stay in the apartment for the time being, but that might arouse suspiscion from her freakishly cheery container. At the same time, were my presence to be discovered, all the plotting in the world would not save me. I would never see the light of day until my own untimely death along with the fools. A simple henge was out of the question, it just wouldn't fool anyone of a moderate skill or heightened sense.'_ The kitsune pondered her current predicament. She would need something more advanced, something that none in this wretched shamble known as Konoha would have knowledge of.

As if a light in her brain suddenly clicked on, she put on a maliciously knowing smirk._ 'This could work to my advantage,' _she thought. "Another 'Demon Illusion Seal' should do the trick. However, for it to cover such an extensive array it will need preparation and time. And I shall need another portion of my chakra to complete the process." Her smile was riddled with mischief as she looked almost hungrily at the blond across the way.

The clone looked at her skeptically, something didn't smell right. For some reason, that look just screamed 'trouble' to him. However, seeing this was neither the time nor place to argue it, he just nodded for her to continue. with the rest of whatever it was the damned fox needed to tell him.

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When the time finally came for the clone to disperse, the real Naruto felt a cold shiver run up his spine and a slight headache begin to form in his mind as the memories of his clone surged through him. The boy immediately cringed at the manner in which his clone was dissipated...it just wasn't right, clone or not, no man deserved such abuse.

His last thought was sobered quickly at the list of things he would have to do for the Kitsune to move about freely. Even more troublesome...'Damn, Shikamaru is rubbing off on me,' he thought before continuing the previous line of thinking, was the fact that most of his time would now be preoccupied with training. It seemed Kakashi sensei was going to finally train him for once since the tree climbing exercise. Not that he was bitter or anything, but it still felt nice to receive some attention once in a while. Naruto looked to the peaking afternoon sun and let out a loud sigh, an uncharacteristic trait that would make most who knew the young man to take it as a sign of the apocalypse, the end of the world night to the idea of him, the blond bundle of energy of all people, being exhausted or overwhelmed by the harshness of life.

If only they knew...

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A/N

Yo - Sorry this was a bit delayed, my computer decided it didn't like working for me anymore so it quit. The overall quality of this chapter may seemed reduced, particularly at the end, but rest assured it is merely a transition. I ran into a slight snag in how to get the story to take off in it's desired direction while maintaining the current time stream. If you haven't guessed, it takes place just before Naruto's training begins in the manga time-line. That's not to say it will continue it's traditional course...of course...Wow that felt weird to say ).

But I can assure you I have yet to see a plot anything like what I have in mind. Hopefully it shall come as a pleasant surprise to many of you with a couple of "Holy !!!!!!'s in between the shock and awe." I do however have a warning. This story will not be happy-go-lucky all throughout it. The Kyuubi is clearly up to something, and a raging queen of all demons doesn't tread the world with a happy gait to her skip. There will be deaths, some good, some bad, some tragic, some deserving. At some point's in this story I'm sure you will absolutely hate me for what I've done. But that my friend, is what a good story does.

Before this is over, you WILL hate me. You will LOATHE me. You will CURSE my existence and banish my soul to the darkest pit of hell. And then you will turn around and say "Damn that was a good," before cheering my on for the next chapter. There will be tears. There will be joy. There will be anger, hatred, and love in this story, even unwillingly or unknowingly. And a story that can do all this, is one that you will always find yourself coming back for more, re-reading for the intricate details in hopes that you didn't miss that one piece of information that might lead on to my intentions, and along with it, what happens next. I plan on sending you to Hell before I hoist you up to heaven. And with the experience of pain in hand, the view from the high seat will be all the sweeter.

I'll see you on the next chapter of Bond of Flame.


	4. Operation 'Blond Idiot' Begins

**Bond of Flame: Uzumaki Naruto**

**SMFox1987**

**Disclaimer: You know the world is in a sad state when you actually HAVE to have disclaimers when working with such a popular source such as the Naruto manga. I would think it would be painfully obvious that we don't own these stories seeing as we're on a website entitled But nooooooo, disclaimer for every chapter or else someone can sue you for 'impersonating' them and stealing their work.**

**Kyuubi - "We should just destroy the world. You're an author you fool; you have the power to obliterate words with the mere stroke of a key. Use me as your tool and together we shall have everything we've ever wanted."**

**SMFox1987 - "Does that mean you'll be my love slave?"**

**Kyuubi - "Depends, are you going to destroy everything?"**

**SMFox1987 - Hrmmm..."Everything that I hold dear to my aching heart or life with a foxy demon goddess in disguise?"**

**Kyuubi - 'flashes SMFox1987'**

**SMFox1987 - 'falls over in a pool of blood'**

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**Chapter Four – Operation 'Blond Idiot'!**

Naruto walked back to his apartment under the cover of the fading sun, the moon now soaring in the sky while the sun made a hasty retreat over the horizon. He had just spent half the day with Kakashi-sensei as he explained this new training regiment to him in detail on the field. He was still a little flustered at how close his new secret came to being exposed. Suffice it to say, he was glad Kakashi had the lure of his newest Icha Icha book to distract him.

**Flashback no Jutsu**

Naruto now stood in the middle of the training field with Kakashi-sensei in front of him. Shortly after the discussion at the hospital, the blond had been directed to the training field where as Kakashi said he would 'catch up'. Two hours later, sure enough, the Icha Icha fanatic made his appearance.

"Okay Naruto, this training we'll be doing will revolve around your Kage Bunshin technique. I'm sure by now you've noticed the effects of using the Kage Bunshin," he said in a bored monotone trademarked to him as 'hip'.

The spiky haired blond looked at his sensei in confusion and put his hand on his chin, trying to look intelligent before replying, "The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is a technique that creates a solid clone of the user and evenly disperses the remaining chakra between the clones. They will dispel themselves upon receiving damage and can also cause damage as well since they are a physical replica. Also, they are capable of performing techniques as well," he grinned happily before smirking at his teacher, clearly proud of his 'intelligent' reply.

For Kakashi's part, he was impressed. The one deemed 'idiot' was now giving rather accurate responses in what could be deemed as 'teacher speak'. Of course, he didn't show it on his face and merely continued his bored monotone before sighing out loud. "You missed the most important part. Make a clone send it to follow this one over into the woods," he said before he himself formed the ram seal and watched as a cloud of smoke announced the clone's arrival.

The young teen immediately followed suit and when his clone made its appearance, nodded to it and pointed at the woods where Kakashi's clone was already walking off. Kakashi never noticed the evil smirk on his face as his eyes met those of his clone when they parted. A moment later, Kakashi jerked his hands down to his gentlemen in reflex before his single unveiled obsidian eye widened in what could only be seen as shock.

Naruto immediately broke down laughing at his sensei as he fell to the ground holding his sides, feet swinging wildly in the air as he grinned, basking in the knowledge of his latest prank. The poor boy hadn't had a good prank since returning from his trip with Jiraiya and the urge was begging for release. It helped that he felt the kick in the genitalia was deserving on Kakashi's part. "Kage Bunshin also passes on the memories they experience in their 'lifetime'," he added, as if it were an afterthought to his previous lecture on the matter.

Kakashi merely glared at his stupid before muttering a quiet "Hai," in response. After straightening himself and attempting to regain some of his former dignity, the copy-nin decided to enlighten his student on all that such an effect can accomplish.

"Seeing as you already know its effects, I imagine you also know the possibilities for training that the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu can expand upon. Control, knowledge, even your chakra capacity can all be heightened by the use of the Kage Bunshin," he explained, voice now back to its usual monotone, though it now had a slightly cautious air about it. He would not allow another trick like that to happen...or he wasn't the famous Sharingan Kakashi. It seemed Naruto was much more intelligent than he thought.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, confusion evident in his voice. "Oi, Kakashi-sensei, how do they help in training?" he asked rather innocently. Kakashi merely slapped his hand to his forehead before retracting his previous thought. _'Nope, still an idiot.'_

"Think about it Naruto. Control is merely knowledge of something. The more you understand the process your chakra uses and the many ways you influence it, the greater your control will become. The more you work with it, the better you get at it. The same can be said of any style or brain work you use. The more often you do something, the better you get at it. Through the shadow clone technique you can have hundreds upon hundreds of clones working on control, each adding to the vast understanding of knowledge and understanding on your own system of chakra." he finished before taking a small breath of air. His blond student was exasperating sometimes.

"Err...right...I knew that," Naruto responded rather unconvincingly. But it did make sense to him now. Working with any ability or technique was mostly based on your knowledge and understanding of the technique and how it works. It was like tree climbing, you just get better and better at maintaining the right amount of chakra at the precise spot that was needed. _'Wow, that's awesome, I could learn new Jutsu really fast like that I'll bet,' _he thought. "But Kakashi-sensei, you said it would build chakra capacity too. How does it do that?" he pestered at the silver haired jounin for obvious answers.

"How do you build chakra capacity Naruto?" he finished in a tired voice. "You expend your chakra to its lowest point before letting it refill, the strain on your chakra coils slowly expanding them. Think of your muscles for a good example. You push your muscles to the breaking point before letting them repair themselves, stronger than before. For someone like you who not only has been burning through chakra like a madman since learning the Kage Bunshin but also containing the chakra of the Kyuubi, you have become a chakra monster," he explained knowingly.

Naruto nodded in comprehension, though he was a little leery of the wording at the end. The Kyuubi herself was nothing more than a being of chakra, taking on a corporeal form through the use of said chakra. In short, she was nothing more than a chakra monster. His thoughts of said irony faded when Kakashi pulled out a slip of paper from his back pocket. Naruto looked at it in confusion and was about to speak up when his teacher decided to enlighten him.

"This, Naruto, is a piece of paper that comes from a tree that has been enhanced with chakra. Because of that, it is extremely sensitive to the nature of a person's chakra. You see, all people, have a natural affinity for one of the five elements that we all use in Jutsu. Through nature manipulation, we channel these elements into our Jutsu to create things such as Katon Jutsu. My Chidori is a form of nature manipulation mixed with shape manipulation. My natural element is lightning, so it is easier for me to use lightning techniques. Sasuke is a combination of fire and lightning, fire from his heritage as an Uchiha, and lightning as his own. If you'll remember Haku, he was a combination of water and wind. He was able to combine the two together to create ice, but that's a little off topic. Anyways, we'll be using your training to work on whichever element you posses. Now if you'll just channel your chakra into this paper, we'll know which element," he completed his lengthy explanation. Naruto frowned at the smile he just knew was under that mask, as if Kakashi were trying to out due his own intelligent lecture with his long explanation.

"Show off," he muttered under his breath before taking the slip of paper in his hand. Once he channeled his chakra into it, something rather surprising happened. It seemed as if the paper was going to slice in half, having halfway cut through it before it stopped immediately. A small flame began to burn it's way across from the other side, halting the cut's progress before consuming the entire slip of paper altogether in a small inferno. "Sooo..." he began, only to stop in quiet contemplation.

Kakashi looked mildly surprised. He had expected one, but not two. He immediately began to process just how when a thought struck him. _'The Kyuubi's chakra must have affected it. But it wouldn't have any bearings on this unless he was actually drawing on it...would it? And then, the way it consumed the paper, it must be quite powerful. To be expected I suppose, seeing as the demon fox was a beast of flames as well. But the fourth's seal should prevent such a thing from happening unless Naruto were to consciously draw on the demons chakra. The slow infusion of it's chakra into him should have been excruciatingly slow to prevent any extra influences over him like this.' _ The thought was sobering to say the least. He began to wonder whether the seal was breaking or if something else was going on. Either way, he would have to report this to the Hokage later.

The jinchuuriki merely frowned at the countless expressions his sensei's single visible eye seemed to convey. It was hard to read them, but being around him so much made it a lot easier than any other person would find it to be. '_Did the fire have something to do with Kyuubi?' _he thought. Naruto was brought out of his musings when the Jounin finally decided to speak. "Well, it seems you have both fire and wind. and a powerful fire at that," he spoke. Naruto looked at him sheepishly as he silently prayed that this wouldn't lead back to the kitsune. "I suppose we will train in fire for now. Now for this to work, you will have to maintain at least five hundred clones at all times while we do this," he nodded before walking to their right a little and kneeling down to pick up a single leaf.

He beckoned the whisker faced young man over to see what he was doing. Naruto bounded over, excited at the prospect of training finally beginning. He watched as the leaf in Kakashi's hand suddenly burst into a small flame before dissipating completely. Naruto looked at him in confusion before Kakashi spoke yet again. "This is what you'll be doing with your clones. You will each take a leaf and concentrate your chakra into the leaf while trying to make it burn. If this were wind training, you would do the same only you'd be attempting to cut the leaf instead. The difference between your chakra natures is the manner in which you channel it. You should try to concentrate on the heat around and within the leaf and focus on pulling it into the leaf with your chakra. Once successful, the leaf will burn to a crisp like the one I just demonstrated," he nodded sagely towards the young man before walking over to a tree, sitting down and digging his face into his Icha Icha.

Naruto smiled at the sight. That book is probably the only reason Kakashi hadn't pressed the issue with the fire. Or at least, he hoped so. He threw both hands up on a long stretch before popping his fingers. He put his hands together in his now trademarked seal and screamed**"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." **He yanked up a great deal of chakra and out came a small army of clones, over five hundred in number, who immediately scattered to find leaves. Once each one found one, they all sat down and got to work as the afternoon sun began it's descent into the horizon.

**Flashback End**

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It seemed like everything went smoothly to the Gennin. Hatake never said anything and the training went without any other peculiar incidents. He never quite realized the full extent of what this seal could do. It made him wonder what other issues the damned thing would cause before long. But he had to quit worrying about such trivial things; he had more work to do. The demoness needed materials for this new seal. And while, little can match the putrid sight of the first seal, this one wasn't far behind.

Naruto shook his head clear of the thoughts, it didn't matter after all. He gave his word that he would give her this small shred of freedom and he'd be damned if he was about to break his nindo. If something was hard, he would push through it with a smile on his face and laugh it off with a bowl of ramen afterwards. That was just his way.

Naruto carried on down the streets, passing the countless blank stares of the people around him as he walked. Even after his efforts concerning the Chuunin exams, and even the chase against Sasuke, which of course resulting him being impaled through his chest by the Uchiha on two separate occasions, not that any of them knew that, he was still frowned upon. The boy was dense, but he wasn't entirely ignorant. They would always fear the greatest source of their misery. So long as the ancient kitsune resided within the seal on his naval, he would always be looked down upon. Even as Hokage he didn't doubt that he would still receive a few glares or stares every now and then. The young man had come to terms with this when he began his training with Jiraiya during their training trip. If he was to truly draw upon his demonic tenants power then he would most assuredly need to come to terms with the fact that, like it or not, the demon would always be a part of his life - for better or worse.

It was with a heavy heart, and a staunch lecture and beating from Jiraiya that he accepted it after three months of refusal. Jiraiya steadily pounded into him until, much to the surprise of both the old man and Naruto, he cracked.

Although the goal in Jiraiya's mind was to make him accept this part of him, it was what Jiraiya was seeking in the end after all, even he wasn't prepared to see the young man finally cave on his seemingly unyielding will. It was a sight he had hoped to never see again. Something about the spiky haired teens face haunted him when it was broken.

Jiraiya was a sannin. By no small stretch of the imagination, he had seen a great many things in his lifetime and was far from a weak constitution. The older man lived through multiple wars, and in his life had bared witness to countless sessions of torture. Each and every individual he had seen broken was a scary sight to behold. But Naruto, he took that whole concept to another universe to itself. The empty voids on his face seemed to threaten his very life, as if trying to stretch out from the dark hollow sockets to devour his own soul.

Another week after that and the blond was finally ready to begin drawing on the demons chakra in much greater quantity. Through no small effort on Jiraiya's part, the young man was able to draw out a total of four tails of the demons power before they could go no farther. Normally such an amount would never be possible but thanks to some timely manipulation of the key scroll Jiraiya had, it was done. The result was a close encounter with death on the older mans part. Of course, he never informed Naruto about his tampering with the scroll, or even of its existence for that matter.

That was the last time the self-proclaimed super pervert ever tried to tamper with the key to his former student Minato's seal. Indeed, Minato was no fool. Before his death the Yondaime Hokage left the scroll, the very key to the reaper seal on Naruto's naval short of the young blonds own willpower, in the capable hands of his teacher. An ironic twist that it was Jiraiya who tampered with the seal to allow Naruto more of the demon's chakra, a mistake he had no intention of duplicating in the future.

The young man was suddenly taken out of his musings about his training and the seal as he arrived at the colorfully bleak apartment complex in which he resided. As he opened the door and took a few steps into the darkened hallway he quickly realized that something was off. It was a little too quiet, a far cry from what he was expecting. Since the moment he entered he was fully prepared for some ridiculous rant or berating from his tenant. Instead, he was greeted with absolute silence.

The whisker faced teen began to scour the apartment for the fiery red head only to find it entirely abandoned, with neither sign nor hair of the demoness in question. Suffice it to say, it was disconcerting to know that an evil demon, let alone the greatest and most powerful of them all was running loose on the streets of Konoha.

"Why do I have the feeling some divine force has taken delight in my torture?" the young man asked before collapsing on his bed on the far side of the room, too tired from the efforts of the day to start a village-wide search for his captive.

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The red-head in question was currently skulking her way through the archives in an old building relatively close to the Hokage tower. The decrepit old shack that everyone saw on the outside was a far cry from what was really on the inside. The floor of the inside was composed of a well polished tile that almost carried a reflective shine to it's quality. The walls were reinforced and covered with a relatively dense alloy to prevent any incidents from the outside from sweeping into the building and destroying it's precious contents. A fine hiding place if it weren't so easy to discover from it's disguised guards. The kitsune found it quite an easy task to scout the village and find her desired destination. She merely had to follow an all too unsuspecting secretary from the Hokage Tower as she went to file more precious documents inside the building.

The kitsune then had to wait an hour for the damned dark haired bitch as she had deemed her to leave the building while she looked for any other security measures that protected the seemingly inconspicuous building. As it turned out, there were only two Chuunin guarding the area. They tried to look as if they were merely walking around as average civilians but it was painfully obvious since their gazes kept drifting back to the building in question. _'Amateurs'_ she though mischievously as she quickly formulated a plan to 'neutralize' the minor irritants she considered them to be.

Twenty minutes later, and two incapacitated Chuunin lay in a seemingly drunken stupor at their separate locations. A simple genjutsu designed to give the feeling of intoxication was all it took for the ancient demoness to bring them down. So complete was the effects of the genjutsu that they never even noticed the slight twitches that would give off the presence of a genjutsu. Such was the power of the mind. Genjutsu was nothing more than a matter of control and the minds infinite imagination. If you could grasp a situation in its entirety, you could bend the reality of your victim to your every whim without fail. And of course, you don't live to be as old as the demoness had without sharpening the mind to its finest degree. Every little detail, every tidbit of information was molded to perfection to fit the genjutsu around them, leaving almost no trace to it's victims that it ever existed.

With a stealth that belittled her sultry appearance and hidden power, she snuck into the building unhindered as she waltzed towards her goal. The archives in the building were well tended and kept in good order. They ranged from every day mission reports to even the darker secrets of the village. Of course, the more volatile secrets were kept in a separate area from the rest in a restricted section. Not that such a thing mattered to one such as herself.

She quickly made her way to the back where the restricted section was and came to a solid metal door that guarded the targeted area she wished to see. As she stared at the door and took in it's heavy set features a dark smile crept it's way over her beautiful features. Suddenly fragments of her demonic chakra shot out of the many pores of the body she resided in and wrapped themselves around her. Her form slowly began to melt in on itself and form a sickening gaseous cloud. As the last of her body turned into the gassy substance and joined the rest of her, the swirl of chakra swept around the substance and pulled it through the borderline air tight cracks of the door's frame.

Not long after on the other side of the door, the demoness began to reform. After the process completed itself, the chakra sucked itself back into her body and she stood there as if nothing had happened at all, still smiling in a viscous manner. She glanced around the fairly small room at the many cabinets and storage spaces littered with documents. The area seemed to be fairly categorized based on the dates of their occurrence. That made it even easier for her as she walked around the room and quickly narrowed in on the events of October tenth, the day she was bound into her young blond container. Browsing the documents she found the two files that caught her interest. The first was the actual birth record of 'Uzumaki' Naruto, whilst the other was some minor information on the seal and the newly created jinchuuriki. As she perused the two documents a third caught her eye as well. Apparently it was a record of a council meeting the day after the events of the tenth.

As the crimson-eyed woman read through the files, the ever-present smile that had formed on her face since she reached this building grew wider and wider. She could most definitely use this. It was just too perfect to be true. Everything was falling into place. The pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly as she took these new developments in. It would be even easier than he thought. Her revenge would end in the complete and utter destruction of the fools who sought to lock her away. And to think, she wouldn't even have to be the one to destroy this place, as much as she wanted to. No, destroying this place would be a joyous occasion to be sure, but watching the child of their greatest hero destroy them in her place, would be far more enjoyable. The demoness burned the information into her mind before quickly leaving the building the way she came, heading straight for the apartment of said child, a wicked grin enveloping her face as she walked.

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The young blond awoke with a start when he felt something warm and soft lean against him. His sparkling blue eyes shot open to see a red mane of hair blocking his vision. He immediately jumped out of the white and orange covers that kept him warm throughout most of his life, shock clearly present on his features. "Wh-WHAT THE HELL!!" he screamed in protest before jumping over the body that had laid itself beside him and glaring daggers at his tenant, who had apparently been the one to lay on the bed beside him, a little too close for his own comfort or sanity.

The kitsune in question merely looked up at him in a bored tone before speaking in a 'higher than thou art' tone in response, "You do not expect me to sleep on the floor now do you?" I'm sure you flea ridden apes are content to do so, but I myself have lived in a sewer for the last fifteen years of my life and now that I have a body, I refuse to sleep on the floor. You can either sleep on the other side as I am allowing you the honor to do so, or you can get at the bottom of the bed and sleep where all dogs should."

To say Naruto was shocked was…an understatement. HIS tenant, who HE gave this freedom…and body to…was telling HIM to sleep at the bottom of HIS bed!?!? _'Over my dead body!' _ he thought angrily before voicing his opinion on the matter. "Like hell I will. This is my bed damn it now get your ass off of it!" he shouted in his anger, face now flustered when the first part of her sentence caught up to him, the prospect of sleeping next to a woman all too foreign, even if she'd lived inside him for all his life. "Find your own damn bed!" he yelled as an after thought to cover his flustered face.

"Oh? Is the little boy afraid to sleep next to a woman? Don't worry Naruto-_kun, _I won't bite…much." She spoke in a sultry voice that, despite it's obvious sarcasm, still sounded more than a little…'NO!" he mentally screamed to banish the thoughts. Time seemed to freeze for the young blond before something strange happened. In a small puff of smoke a chibi Jiraiya appeared on his right shoulder, fully garbed in the suit of a traditional devil. His red horns pronounced themselves against his long white hair while the red forked tale he boasted wrapped around the blonds neck. Pounding the hilt of his pitchfork into the shoulder of the jinchuuriki, he began to speak.

"Go for it my boy! Tame the foxy goddess and make your sensei proud!" he grinned lecherously at his young student. "She's practically giving you an open invitation! If you don't do this, you are not a man and you will have failed not only me, but your own dignity and pride as a man!" he yelled rather convincingly.

"But…." The young blond tried to mutter a protest to his lecherous teachers words when another puff of smoke announced the presence of yet another individual on his left shoulder. His silver gravity defying hair announced the entrance of one Hatake Kakashi, fully chibified in all his perverse glory, book still present in his hands and mask still covering his face. Which, although the mask did a good job of covering most of it, it could not hide the pink tinge that covered his entire face.

"Naruto, listen to both your sensei. If you do not do this, I will have lost all faith in your abilities to retrieve Sasuke as well as your dream to become Hokage!" he reprimanded the young man.

"Aren't there supposed to be one good and one bad in this kind of situation? Where's the good angel that's supposed to be the voice of reason?" he asked the two in a curious gesture as his eyes and head roved back and forward between the two.

As if to answer his question, a third puff of smoke appeared next to Kakashi. It soon revealed a chibified Ayame, still garbed in her traditional ramen getup with the exception of two brilliant white angel wings behind her and a golden halo over her head. "Sorry, I was a little caught up with…stuff," she spoke as she glared at Kakashi who merely shrugged, feigning ignorance to the hidden subject he knew she was referring to. I mean, it wasn't like he intentionally set her up to delay her inevitable presence from this conversation.

"Naruto-kun, you must not do anything rash. You may share this bed, but you must also control yourself and not listen to these two buffoons." She finished with a womanly 'stern' look on her face and glared at the two perverts. Both of the older men had the dignity to look up with a huff and cross their arms, raising their noses to the sky as if such a comment was beneath them.

"Don't listen to her Naruto, listen to your elders. I've lived a long time and in my life I have gained a vast wealth of knowledge on such matters. The fox wants this and as an honorable citizen of Konoha, you must help those in need and want!" he said before grinning back at the angel that was Ayame lecherously, as if to say 'I win'.

"Don't listen to that pervert Naruto-kun, you're better than that," she spoke with a powerful conviction behind her voice that left little doubt that she honestly believed her words. "It's okay to sleep beside her, but you must not act in any perverted manner. You should behave like a gentlemen and sleep beside her tonight and embrace her in a warm and loving hug as you snuggle together!" she finished with glowing hearts in her eyes as her hands clapped together as the romantic prospects of the situation coursed through her mind.

The blond merely looked at her in surprise before finally speaking with a slight glare on his face, "You're just as bad as they are," he muttered before something rather...striking happened.

Suddenly all three chibi's disappeared as a firm slap woke Naruto from his idiotic stupor. The offending hand quickly retreated as the Kyuubi looked at him in more than a little annoyance. "Well? What will you do?" she asked, her voice leaving no room for anymore daydreaming on his part.

"Fine, you can sleep in MY bed tonight. But tomorrow we're going to have to find somewhere else for you to sleep because this isn't going to happen anymore after tonight," he replied with conviction and determination. The kitsune merely looked up in exasperation before plopping back down on the moderately comfortable bed.

"Be happy I am choosing to leave my undergarments on, I am not used to wearing these clothes as you humans do." That was all the spiky haired boy heard before she closed her eyes and pulled the covers over her body to ward off the cold.

Naruto sighed before crawling over the resting fox and following suit, pulling the covers over himself while trying to maintain some distance from the noticeably warm body that was so close. He shook his head free of the perverted thought as he could swear he heard the snickering of a lecherous old pervert nearby.

This was going to be a long night.

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**A/N: **OKAY!! I am very sorry for the delay. I was struggling with a few things that made getting this out rather difficult. As I said in my profile earlier, I simply couldn't release it as it was before and had to rewrite a great deal of it.

I'm sure you all notice the similarity to the manga for a larger part of this chapter. I hope to fully integrate this story into the actual manga time line. To that end, the changes will be gradual before eventually being entirely separate from the changes the release of the demon will cause. For instance, the nature manipulation training he is receiving.

As much as I hate to do it since it seems like 'filler' crap to the actual story I am creating, I have come to realize that things like this chapter are a necessary evil and a means to an end. That is probably the reason I had so much trouble getting this chapter out, I simply didn't want to follow the suit of so many other stories and repeat the exact same story line of the manga like everyone else tends to do. I mean for the love of god, can we please get a story that doesn't repeat the wave arc so dang much. Would coming up with a different event really be that difficult for so many writers? Heh, aren't I a hypocrite. Here I am talking about that when I myself had the same issue with this chapter. Oh well (

Anyways, I hope the chapter wasn't too disappointing to anyone. The story is beginning to take off with plans beginning to unfold. The demoness has confirmed her suspicions and is now going to take action. Meanwhile, Naruto is dealing with feelings that he has never had to deal with in his lifetime with the introduction of an actual female in his every day living environment. He is also struggling to come to terms with his life and having to 'deal' with the demoness he has now released. He is obviously fearful of what could happen should such knowledge leak out to the village, but also unwilling to break his own way of life, to never go back on his word.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to drop a bone and tell you a little about the next chapter

"**Wheels in Motion"**

The dark plans of the demon begin as the village meets the Kyuubi no Kitsune face to face and not a soul amongst them even realizes it. The new seal takes shape and the first victim of the Kyuubi no Kitsune in fifteen years comes to pass.

Care to guess who?


	5. Wheels in Motion

**Bond of Flame: Uzumaki Naruto**

**SMFox1987**

**Disclaimer: Well folks, it's official, Masashi Kishimoto is undefeatable at Poker. I have tried, I have failed, and I have lost all my clothes in my never ending conquest to obtain rights to Naruto...BUT I SHALL PERSERVERE!! One day Kishimoto...One day...**

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**Chapter Five – Wheels in Motion**

Scenes of a towering inferno flashed across his vision, flames leaping out to lash at his skin as he walked through what appeared to be streets of a city. Bodies littered the ground, some torn, some shredded, some burning to a crisp. They were everywhere. Everywhere his eyes turned he would see more, in buildings, through windows, open doorways, everywhere he could see there was a bloodied mangled stump that was once a human being, a living breathing person.

He kept moving through the streets of this place, everything around him aflame as he slowly made his way towards what seemed to be the source of this chaos, a towering building that, if he wasn't so sure of its impossibility, he might think it was the Hokage's tower. But that just couldn't be right. This... this place... it couldn't be Konoha, not his Konoha. Konoha was the strongest of all the villages in the elemental country. Despite its recent struggles against Orochimaru and the invasion three years ago, it was still the strongest. Impossible…

He quickly banished the thoughts and tried to look down at himself, but couldn't. His eyes struggled to turn downward, his hands fought to come up before his eyes, but they just wouldn't obey his commands. His legs kept moving themselves without his consent as they steadily made their way to the tower. The thought of this being Konoha kept poking at the back of his mind. It just wouldn't shut up, it wouldn't go away. It was practically screaming at him to not look now, to close his eyes and banish the image from his sight. If nothing else then to gouge his own eyes out and stop the horrible scene from taking over his mind. He could no longer deny it, this was Konoha! Konoha is burning!!

His body began to speed up at is steadily broke into an all out sprint. The cry of a familiar voice caught his attention and he turned to see the most terrifying thing his eyes had ever set themselves upon. Before him stood his favorite ramen stand, its kind hearted owner lying on his side with a vicious claw shaped hole gaping across his stomach. Through the shredded clothes Naruto could see the blood and innards slowly seeping out, his life blood leaving him too fast for him to even still be alive, and yet he was. That wasn't even the worst of it. The look of absolute horror on his face spoke more than his mangled body ever could. His pale face was whiter than any ghost Naruto had ever heard of or seen. He lay there, cringing in a fetal position as he held his stomach with one hand while the other reached out for...

Tears now streamed down the young blonds face at the sight of one of his dearest friends. One of the few people that was kind to him from the very beginning...Ayame. She was piled over not far from her father, a single red tear streaking down her horror stricken face, as if her mind and heart were simply shattered into a million pieces and she could no longer make any other face aside from the one she bore. Red...tears...blood. Ayame's tear was not like the regular salty clear liquid one normally cried. It was blood. But she didn't look injured...there were no gashes on her body that he could see, and her clothes were perhaps the only thing in sight that weren't destroyed in some manner. The sight more resembled a hell-spawn creature masquerading around as his beautiful friend rather than the one he knew and held dear to his heart.

Suddenly his body took off while his mind lingered, he wanted to stay, to go to them and try to help in whatever way he could, but his body simply wouldn't obey. The damned thing was ignoring his commands and running off with a mind of it's own. Had his own limbs betrayed him? He continued down the street, the tower he ran to getting closer and closer as he passed several familiar faces. All of them were the same. All of them were alive, uninjured, unharmed in any way but each and every one of them had the same tears of blood. Each and every one of them sat stock still, crippled to their knees and seemingly unable to move with a broken expression on their faces as the blood streamed down their ghastly visage. This had to be a nightmare, he had to be dreaming, and this couldn't be real.

His body finally reached the tower and his vision shot up. Whatever it was that was drawing him seemed to be on top of the tower. Finally seeming to obey his commands or perhaps his mind was simply set on a similar objective now, his body leapt up the building, climbing it with a speed he didn't know it was capable of. Within seconds he was at the top of the tower staring at...himself? There, face to face with him now stood...him. His orange clothes were mostly gone, all that remained were the orange pants he loved so much. The shirt seemed to have been burned off by the crimson aura that surrounded him. Behind his body stood six tails of blood red chakra which seemed to have taken a physical manifestation rather than their usual bubbly texture. The pressure that surrounded him was only amplified by the terrifying red eyes. The eyes were so horrific that he began to wonder if he ever truly had his crystalline blue ones to begin with. They didn't even show rage as they normally did when he drew on the power of the demon, they showed...pain?

He felt his heart tremble at the sight, his arm moving to clutch the artery. It felt as if it were being ripped in half from the mere sight of himself. Did he do this? Was he responsible for this destruction? The eyes of his counterpart seemed to bore into him, the dead soul inside crying out to him in anguish. The Kyuubified Naruto reached out for him, his sharpened claws and red aura fading slightly. As the hand reached for him, drawing itself closer and closer, the aura receded more and more. Suddenly, as if the aura had a mind of it's own and refused to die without a fight, it flared itself around him again. The Kyuubi Naruto wailed in pain and rage before a massive specter of rose from him. It was identical to his normal demonic form only far greater in size. It's massive form towered over them both before it's enraged eyes locked onto the spikey blond. It's bulky crimson arms pulled back in another roar before the right arm came down in a burst of speed that belittled it's hulkish size. The flaming talons it carried with it slashed across Naruto's stomach while the force of the blow launched him from the rooftop of the tower.

As Naruto flew through the air, his eyes opened and he could see the ground growing closer and closer. However, right before the impact, Uzumaki Naruto awoke with a start, a heady cold sweat working its way down the brow of his face. This was the fourth time tonight and it was beginning to get worse. It seemed as if every time he drifted off he would have the same bloody nightmare again. Every time his eyes sealed themselves shut and his senses began to shut themselves down, as much as a shinobi's could, the visions would come back to haunt him again. Finally deciding that enough was enough and that this was simply getting a little too ridiculous for his tastes, the young blond leapt from the covers and over the sleeping beauty on his other side, taking extra caution not to awaken the annoying red head as she continued to sleep. He made his way to the bathroom before stripping his clothes and quickly hopping in.

Rather than waiting the demon container decided to hop in immediately and allow the refreshing cold water to calm his shaken nerves. At first he couldn't get his own broken thoughts into any semblance of order but as the water steadily warmed itself his mind began to piece things together. _'A nightmare, that's all,'_ he thought tiredly. Despite the ordeal happening while he slept, he felt as if his body hadn't even shut itself down. _'Why would I dream about anything like that?' _he began to pester mentally as he remembered the cold gaze his...himself. That thought alone was somewhat scary to the blond. Never, in all his life, despite being alone for most of it, had he ever had a nightmare like this. And yet...it felt so real. It still felt like his stomach was somehow gushing blood. Had he bothered to look down, he would have noticed the slightly red tinge it had as it slowly healed over itself.

Naruto kept his eyes open and looking skyward as the hot water continued to cascade down his body. The water's crisp clean feel was intoxicating to his erratic mind. It was so soothing to his hectic thoughts that he never noticed the door open and close behind him. His ignorance continued until he heard the shower stall open behind him. He froze like a deer in the headlights as he felt his body reach a temperature that would make molten lava green with jealousy. It even seemed like the water evaporated before it could even come into contact with his skin now as he just stood there, unmoving, unblinking, and unthinking.

His newfound companion hopped into the stall beside him, far too close for it to be considered a decent position and reached down to grab a hold of the long, soft, wonderfully smelling bar of soap that rested on the rack beside the blond and began to lather her now dripping wet body with the substance. She continued to do so until her body was completely covered in the scented substance before she roughly shoved the blond aside and took his place under the showerhead. "Oh come on flesh bag, it's not like it's something you've never seen before," she said blandly. "Or vice versa," she added with an evil grin before continuing to rub the substance off her skin with the falling liquid.

"Tha-THATS NOT THE POINT!" came his retort, angry and flustered at the developments. He opened the stall again and quickly hopped out while grabbing a towel to cover his asset and began to dry himself off with another smaller towel. "People just don't do that alright? I would think an ancient demon would at least know that by now," he muttered angrily as he continued the process of removing the water from his body, struggling to untangle the mob of hair that had matted itself to his face.

"Demons are intelligent to realize that such matters are inconvenient and a waste of resources as well as effort in such matters. Or is it that you think of me in such a perverted way that you are uncomfortable showering beside me?" she added in a playful tone, clearly toying with her container. "I thought you weren't like that senile old fool you call a sensei."

"Find a man who doesn't have issues with it and then talk you old hag!" He bellowed, proud of coming up with an insult that he could honestly use against the admittedly beautiful demoness. She was no different than Tsunade...parading around like some young thing when in reality she was infinitely older. The body she was using couldn't have been any other than twenty at the most. It was nothing more than a bold faced lie to his eyes.

"This is my natural form when I am forced to take the shape of you despicable humans. Though I may be eons old, I shall live for eons to come and am still young in my life span you insufferable whelp. To you I am old but to my kind I am in the prime of my life. Another testament to how demons are far superior to you little rats," the red eyed woman declared boastfully, huffing to herself in assurance of her own superiority over the 'whelp' that she was bound to.

Naruto narrowed his eyes before reaching within himself and finding the chord of the demons chakra that he held. He stretched a tendril of his heavenly blue tinted chakra to wrap around it and tugged ever so slightly on it. The effect was immediate as the demoness' eyes shot open and she looked out the still open shower stall at her container in something that almost resembled...fear. A laughable notion that the Kyuubi no Kitsune could even feel such a thing, but nothing else came to mind to match to the look on her face but mild surprise and fear.

"You can cut back on the insults to people now. Like it or not, we are stuck together. Like it or not, I gave my word that I would let you out for a bit. But you will cut the bullshit insults that come out every time you open your mouth or so help me I will toss you back in that damn sewer until you're willing to sing praise to every man we come across," the Hokage to be bellowed with a stern conviction in his voice, his tone rising with each word spoken. His bright blue eyes were doing their best to glare at her still naked form as the shower pelted the back of her head and upper back, dripping down around her, following each and every succulent curve along the way. It was truly a remarkable feat for any man to accomplish, but Uzumaki Naruto did it.

"Well, the boy is a man after all. I guess you really do have a pair down there, a good one too," she said slyly while the young man turned a new shade of red at the direction she was looking at the little quip towards his manhood before she continued. "Very well, I will cut back on the 'insults' despite it being the truth. But the deal was for freedom, I have no intention of being completely restricted in every move I make or else this scrap of air is no better than that sewer of that damned seal," she finished before turning around again to shut the water off. When the steady drizzle died down to a minor drip she stepped out of the stall and grabbed the remaining towel on the nearby hook and began to dry herself off.

The blond's cheeks tinged pink at the sight and again at the comment directed at his 'soldiers' before walking out of the bathroom with a pair of his own daily clothes in hand. As soon as he closed the door he quickly began to dress himself. Once all that remained to put on was his black and orange striped jacket, he made for the kitchen and put some water on to boil. The young vessel pulled out three small cups from the nearby cabinet just above and to the right of the boiling kettle. He turned his gaze to the clock on the front of the mini fridge, "Only five," he spoke solemnly. He hardly slept at all and yet it was already morning. He sighed to himself as he settled in, waiting for the water to boil.

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Inside the bathroom the demoness smiled to herself. _ 'Too easy,' _she thought. The previous events did not go as she thought they would, but rather, even better. She expected her actions to get him riled up and make him forget the 'dreams' he had been having all night, not that she could let him know that. It also distracted him from the pain around his stomach as her chakra went into overdrive to cover all traces of the wound as quickly as it could. The dreams did not go quite as she had planned, but she could only attribute that to the blond's stubborn mind.

Despite what she would say to him, the dark demon fox was well aware of just how strong his will could be. The dreams were supposed to show him a view of himself enjoying the massacre. Instead at the end her little conjuration was shown in a state of extreme pain and anguish, as if his soul had just been shredded by the very acts he committed. Near the end of that last dream she was forced to actually surge her chakra to force the 'kyuubified' Naruto to do as it was supposed to, resulting in the specter that rose from it's body.

_'Remarkable willpower, and even a pair to match it down below,' _she grinned happily. _'Maybe I'll enjoy this plan even more than I thought. He might even be a keeper if he doesn't die from my release at the end, I could always use a pet.' _With that final thought, the kitsune, now fully clothed in another set of the boys seemingly infinite supply of orange clothes, opened the bathroom door and went into the other room to join her whisker faced vessel.

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The living room as well as a fragment of the kitchen that extended off of it was once again covered in the dark markings of a seal. Immediately after breakfast the two residents of the young demon vessel got to work on the new seal design. The demon had gone though a lengthy explanation about how this seal was not much different from the one on his face. The greatest difference between the two was that this particular seal was designed to disguise her demonic chakra to look as nothing more than the regular blue of most humans.

"In most cases," she explained, "For this to work for the demon applying it, they would have to kill a human and use their blood on the seal. Well…they wouldn't have to kill them; that's just an added bonus," she ended rather gleefully at the prospect.

"However, seeing as how I have a willing blood donor, I suppose we'll have to skip the pleasantries. The blood carries your signature in it. Inside your life blood is the code for your very being, including your chakra. As such, by using your blood in the seal, when my chakra is disguised, it will look identical to yours," she finished.

The blond looked at her quizzically before her words clicked in his head. "So whoever's blood used in the seal is the chakra signature that it gives you as a disguise?" He asked, positive that he understood but still wanting to be sure.

"Indeed," she answered in a rather short but happy voice…a little too happy for his tastes. "This means that once we finish the outline of this seal, you will have to donate a rather generous portion of blood to coat it. Won't that be fun?" She said rather rhetorically, the excitement of blood getting the better of her and letting more than a little of her true nature to slip out.

The whiskered boy paled a little at the thought of going through that again but at least this time around he wouldn't be doing it alone. That by itself should cut the amount of time down dramatically, especially seeing as the one with him was most experienced in this sort of thing. "Oh joy," he muttered, his voice low enough that he was sure only those of the Inuzuka could hear, but apparently, the demoness before him was just as capable.

"Don't tell me a future 'Hokage' is scared of a little blood loss?" She snickered at the prospect, knowing just how well her little insult would push him. And sure enough, the boys face lit up and regained it's flare and strength at her words. Surprisingly though, he did not reply.

Not more than an hour later, the large seal was complete on the floor, just waiting for a fresh coating of blood. Its design was a little different than the one before. This one was no where near as spiral like as the other. Instead, this one seemed to focus more on the kanji inscribed on it. Five lines of kanji all circled the inner circle in a shuriken like design. Each end of one line seemed to rise slightly above the one in front of it to give it a tail like blade appearance once it completed its circuit. The seal itself was comprised of three of these patterns, each one different from the ones beside it, overall forming a total of three rings, each in the same shuriken like style but having the middle one spin in the opposite direction. Four lines extended from the outer seal to the middle seal, and similarly, though positioned a full 45 degrees away from the first set of lines, a second set extended to the inner one.

The demon across the way spoke in a rather bland voice, "It's time for blood."

"Yea, yea," he replied before standing and stretching from his position on the other end of the seal close to the kitchen. He turned and went in the kitchen only to return a moment later with a medium sized saucer to hold the precious liquid that he would have to give away. He deftly pulled out a kunai and sliced it across his left forearm in a vertical slice, the liquid flowing out over the bowl and dripping down with a low splat sound. Not long after the wound began to heal itself and he was forced to make another slice on the still tender flesh to continue the flow of blood. Once the saucer was full he handed it to the kitsune and left the room again only to return with two small paint brushes, just the right size to cover the intricate seal without splattering any all over. The sight that greeted him made him shiver.

The Kyuubi stood there, saucer in hand, but her fingers were dipped in the viscous fluid. She pulled out her hand and immediately began to suckle on the red coated tips one by one, enjoying the taste that she had for so long been denied. She looked upon her captor with a gleeful smirk, enjoying his reaction almost as much as the blood itself. The blonds head cocked back as she took the last finger out of her mouth and began to lick it as seductively as she could. "You'll have to forgive me; it's been so long since I've tasted the wondrous delicate taste of blood that I simply couldn't resist. And I must say, yours is rather exceptional compared to the countless who's blood I have had before," she said with an evil smirk. But in truth, even though she would have said it anyways, she couldn't deny that it carried a rather unique flavor to it. It reminded her much of herself but was at the same time so much different, perhaps a side effect of being sealed within him for his entire life. It reminded her much of how she would relish in the blood of a powerful foe. Like the owner of such power, their blood would often taste stronger as well, and few beings could match the power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the greatest of the Bijuu.

The blond suddenly felt himself more than a little aroused at the scene before him. Quickly shaking his head of the thoughts he mustered up a reply, "If you're done, I'd like to get this over with," he said and tossed her one of the two brushes. The kitsune pouted a little at having to give away such a tasty desert but knew better than to argue. She was a creature of patience, and this was but a bump in the road to a far greater desire.

They immediately got to work and not more than three hours later, the seal was complete. The fox demon took her place in the center whilst her blond idiot of a container backed away into the kitchen to stay out of the way while he watched. She had already explained the process while they were coating the seal and since she was here now unlike with the transmutation, she would perform the seal. What she failed to mention to him however, was that for this seal, she could not have any clothes on for risk of interfering with the illusion seals effects.

As the crimson eyed, red mane beauty began to hastily remove the articles of orange clothing, the container in the other room could not keep his mouth shut. "What are you doing?" He yelled in surprise, quickly turning his head to block out the sight and prevent any more 'disturbing' thoughts from entering his mind. The latter part was of course unsuccessful and the effort was wasted.

"Quit your whimpering and enjoy the show. I cannot risk having these clothes interfere with the seal's work. Once the process is complete I will put those rags you call clothes back on." The explanation was enough for the blond and he slowly turned back around, struggling to keep the ecchi thoughts from his mind as he watched his tenant move through a series of hand seals, many which he could not recognize, before uttering the words, **"Demonic Illusion Seal."**

Red chakra began to leak from her body before it swirled around her just a little bit, not enough to actually draw any unwanted attention to the flux of demonic chakra in the room. The tendrils of chakra began to lick around her like wildfire and slowly crept down her body forming a protective coating around her before it stretched out to the first inner ring of the seal on the floor. The reaction was immediate.

Blue chakra burst from the seal as if the blood it was made with was shooting it out. The blue began to flow towards the demoness and intermixed with her red in an exotic dance of light. The two colors swirled around each-other all around her before it began to all gather in one long circular ring around her waste. Spikes began to form out of the chakra like some wicked thorned vine before the chakra constricted itself around her and tightened it's grip on her body. The thorns of chakra protruded her body and the chakra began to seep into her slowly, the light of its power waning as it slowly filled her impressive figure.

If it weren't for the fact that she showed no facial reactions throughout the whole ordeal, the nine tails vessel would have surely thought that it was a painful process. Always being the caring type that he was he spoke his fear and asked if she was alright. No reply. "Hey Kyu-…" he began but stopped when the demoness simply collapsed at her spot, now laying in a heap on the once again empty floor, the seal fading around her. Instead of covering the floor, she now had what looked like a thorny tattoo stretching around her waste like a red and blue belt. It looked simply exotic on her delicate skin and matched perfectly with the black choker seal around her neck.

At that point the young man standing over her realized three things: Firstly, he still had no clue what to call his tenant besides 'bastard fox'. They would have to remedy that when they spoke next. Did she even have an actual name? Or did she just always go by her title as the nine tailed demon fox?

Secondly, and probably a little higher on the scale of importance was the fact that despite his best efforts to act otherwise, he could not deny it even to himself, his tenant, was hot. Try as he might to not have such perverse thoughts, and of course blaming it all on his teacher as he damned him to the deepest pit of hell, he simply couldn't take his eyes off the fiery red head below him. Demon, human, at this point it didn't matter…she was hot.

This led him to his final problem and current predicament: Said 'hot' demoness was now lying naked in the middle of his floor, unconscious. Being the ever so intelligent person he was, he said the only thing that came to mind, "Shit."

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Shortly after, Naruto found himself once again on his way to one of the many various training fields around Konoha to meet Kakashi for another day of training. After skillfully managing to lay his newfound roommate from the floor to the bed which was once again in it's normal place, he decided to set out for another day of hard work. It was rather difficult to maneuver his female companion without bumping any of her more 'mentionables' in the process but he had someone managed to do so. Even with the conclusion that she was, irresistibly hot, the young blond had a strong sense of morals and while his mind mite oft times run wild and free, his body most assuredly did not.

It was fast approaching ten-thirty and the sun was nearing it's high peak. When Naruto arrived at the training field he was surprised to find not Kakashi, but Yamato instead. Curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto couldn't help but ask why. "Yamato-sensei, where's Kakashi-sensei? I thought we were going to be training more on chakra nature?"

"Ahh Naruto, you're finally here," he said with a smile on his face. Even for a lazy shinobi, ten-thirty was pushing it when it came to training and a decent schedule. Simply put, Yamato was a little annoyed that Kakashi's student seemed to take after him more than they knew, particularly in regards to tardiness. "Kakashi-sempai has requested my aid here today as he had other matters to attend to. He explained to me that you were using a new training method to quickly learn nature manipulation and has asked me to watch you in his stead," he finished in something between a mix of his usual monotone and a tinge of happiness to have a break from the usual daily labors.

His spiky yellow mane seemed to droop at the knowledge that Kakashi had stood him up, but that was the life of a shinobi after all, the embodiment of chaos itself. Schedules never seemed to last long when it came to their bounce around job, never knowing when you'll be called or when some crazy mission that requires your specific talents will come to pass. So Naruto did what he did best, he took it in stride, slapped a smile on his face, and formed his favorite seal. **"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" **he yelled out before a massive puff of grey smoke announced the arrival of his one man army. Each of the five hundred clones present spread out and found a leaf to begin their newfound task for training. The original Naruto just smiled sheepishly at the surprised face of his new overseer who wasn't quite sure if what he was witnessing was true.

"Sugoii, that's impressive. Kakashi-sempai explained it to me but I never realized just how amazing this is. So this will really speed up the training huh?" He asked, still trying to make sense of what he was seeing. It's true that the Kage Bunshin could pass on information, and even a hardy jounin like Kakashi or himself could produce a good few, but no where near as many as Naruto could, nor with the ability to make them last long enough to get any solid use from them for something like this.

The young jinchuuriki nodded his head before answering with his own voice, "Yea, I can already get the leaf to catch fire but I can't make it burst into flame like Kakashi-sensei did. But he said it's supposed to take months to get that far so I guess it really works well."

"Yes, that is correct. Even for most chuunin level shinobi that kind of progress is impossible. This truly is unique. And to think, you're the only one even capable of such a thing," he spoke in an excited tone before continuing in a much more somber inflection, "Naruto-kun, do you need any advice on the manipulation of fire? I myself have never practiced it, but I have read up on the manner in which the five nature elements are practiced. I may be able to provide some assistance."

"Arrigato, Yamato-sensei," he replied cheerfully, his excitement now full blown at the prospect of taking it even farther. "I'll have this done in no time!" He boasted, and from the way things looked, Yamato couldn't doubt that.

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The Kyuubi awoke much later that day with a splitting headache and an extremely dry mouth. From what she could tell from the faint light seeping from the window, it was quickly getting dark and the sun was making a hasty retreat. Her blond idiot of a container was no where to be seen and she quickly got out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom. As she came into the room, she stood in front of the large mirror and looked her body over. The thorn like wreathe around her waste had all but disappeared on her peach skin, receding as it should have. Along with it, her whisker like facial features and her slit pupils faded as well. Her eyes remained red though. Despite their somewhat 'evil' appearance, red eyes were nothing too uncommon, and it was no big deal as far as she was concerned. The real issue was whether or not the real purpose of the seal had worked.

Quickly channeling what chakra she could she looked about her body to see a deep blue chakra form around her instead of her favorite blood tinged red. It looked identical to that of her blond container and even a Hyuuga would tell that it was identical in every way. She smiled at this, everything was on schedule. She walked over to the sink and reached under the cabinet above it where she pulled out a clear phial with a red viscous liquid in it. She had taken slight pains to carefully direct chakra into it before storing it to keep it looking fresh, rather than the full day old that it was. The demoness quickly left the bathroom to retrieve some clothes, an orange jacket and pants this time rather than the tattered orange jean shorts that she had worn before.

The key to making this work would be to leave no shred of doubt as to what happened. A henge would be far less recognizable if less were to have to actually be changed to meet the desired illusion. Wearing his orange getup would only further this, and she had to admit, it was surprisingly comfortable as well.

She slipped the phial of blood into one of the many pockets on the inside of the coat before forming a quick seal and disappearing in a puff of smoke. Once the smoke cleared, her favorite idiot stood where she once was, the only tell-tale difference to distinguish the two being a wicked smile that had formed on her lips. It looked far too sinister to ever look in place on the face of her jailer. The kitsune once again was enveloped in the now blue colored chakra before disappearing all-together and leaving the room as quiet as the grave, a fitting touch to the coming deeds of the night.

-----------------------------

Homura was tired. It was another long day of arguing and squabbling over the present predicament and the various threats that darkened the gates of Konoha. He had finally been able to return to his home where he fully intended to collapse on his relatively large bed. His home was a relatively small house on the outskirts of Konoha. It wasn't as close to work as he'd like but walking every day was a worthwhile price to pay for the peace and quiet that living out here gave. It was a serene peace that calmed the mind, soul, and with the help of his soft, fluffy bed, his aching old bones as well.

He never wanted to admit it, but in the wake of Sarutobi's death, he simply couldn't deny that he was an old man. His brittle bones ached with any attempt at heavy movement, a curse of his former life as a shinobi of the leaf. His body was worn out, and while it was fairly healthy, it still hurt like hell. His time would come to a close soon, but he had no regrets about that. How many shinobi could honestly claim to have lived such a long life. In the world they had forged, despite its wars and peacetime, there were few who could claim an age over fifty. He was lucky.

He opened the door to his bedroom where he saw his destination lying in wait for him, cool white blankets spread out and calling his name. His eyes shut slightly as he let himself drift over towards the bed, only to dive to the side as a kunai swiped where his head would have been in one more step. He traced the path of the kunai to it's owner and laid eyes upon one of the last sights he ever expected to see.

"Uzumaki Naruto, what do you think you are doing in my home?!" He yelled, hoping his loud voice might attract some passerby, but with the location of his home being so far from the general civilization of Konoha, he simply would not be that lucky. He made to stand up, his legs aching with the pain of the movement, that dodge had jerked his legs harder than he would have liked, and it was showing clearly on his pained face he made to stand.

"Returning the favor," the young man replied before leaping forward to strike the old man with a strong right hook. Homura deftly dodged to the left, before reaching to grab his arm, latching hold of the wrist and attempting to twist it around behind his back, forcing him to spin. He drew a kunai as deftly as his aged fingers could and held it at the boys throat from behind.

"I may be old, but I was still a shinobi once, now I ask you again: Uzumaki Naruto, what are you doing here?" He asked, pulling as tightly as possible while struggling to maintain his grip on the far younger opponent he faced.

"Hehehehe, guess again!" the blond laughed in a crazed manner. Homura wasn't stupid, and the meaning was not lost on him. His eyes widened slightly before he began his next line of questioning.

"If you are not Uzumaki Naruto then who are you, and why are you disguised as him. And more importantly, why are you after my life?" He demanded once more, edging the kunai across his throat slightly to draw a slip of blood and get his point across.

The blond merely smiled before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Homura stumped forward with its presence no longer there to hold him up. He quickly caught his balance and turned his eyes to the movement near the door where the blond now stood. "I said guess again! Come on, I can wait, it's been so long since I've had the pleasure of killing one of you little leaf ninjas and I really want to savor the look in your eyes. That is, before I tear them from their sockets," she said in a sickening voice.

"Then you have killed here before, are you a shinobi of another village?" The old man asked again, getting tired of this game, but counting his blessings that he was still alive, even if this person before him was only toying around with his life.

"Nope!" He replied gleefully. "That's strike two old man!"

The grey haired shinobi began to think of possible escape routes. He quickly discarded that notion. He was simply too old. He could not move at the speed he once could, let alone fast enough to escape this person, whoever he was. He considered fighting, but again he knew it was futile. His pride refused to accept the third option….surrender and pray he was taken alive, or beg for mercy, something he could never bring himself to do.

"A shinobi of the leaf village then I see, why have you betrayed us? I don't suppose I could convince you to change your mind?" He proposed, but the widening smile of his attacker told him otherwise.

"Strike three, but since your about to die, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let you in on the little secret," he said before Homura suddenly collapsed to his knees, a sharp pain in his back forcing the action. The Naruto in front of him disappeared and another walked from behind him to kneel in front of his face. The illusion faded and the demoness released the seal that kept her features hidden. Seeing the whisker marks and the slit pupils, Homura immediately paled. Those were not human features, and only a jinchuuriki would have such features unless the person was…

"Fifteen years ago your village made its greatest mistake. I was sent to wreak havoc on your village, and purge most of it, but some would have survived my destruction. Unfortunately at the time, I was under the influence of another, and would not have sought revenge or any further destruction of your village once done. But then your pathetic flesh bag of a Yondaime Hokage had to go and seal me away," she said as she began to slowly circle the dying old man, her delicate fingers tracing the width of his neck as she walked.

Homura's face darkened in a look of absolute horror. If the Kyuubi no Kitsune was here, then that meant she was free. "Then what happened to Naruto, where is the jailer if the prisoner stands before me? How the hell did you escape?!?!" He yelled with what little strength remained in his slowly falling voice. He coughed up a bit of blood on the floor before him from the effort.

"Ahh, but I wasn't finished. You see, that is where my grand plan comes in. As payment for sealing me, I plan to have this village destroyed, and not by my own hand. My dear container will be the one to bring this hovel of a village to oblivion. He will use my power to raze these buildings, and rend the flesh from each and every villager so that not a soul survives. Normally he would never do such a thing, but I know something that he doesn't. I have been made privy to some rather interesting information, and one of the most guarded secrets of this village. I wonder how he would react if he was to learn just how far your village's betrayal of him goes?" She asked, but frowned when she saw that his eyes were beginning to close. That just wouldn't do. Finally free to do as she pleases, and her first victim was going to die on her before she got a chance to gloat and brag about her plans. She surged a strong jolt of chakra into his body, shocking his system into awareness once more before continuing.

"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, son of the late Yondaime Hokage. Born October 10th on the day of the Kyuubi attack, parents listed as unknown, and left to rot as an orphan of Konoha. The Sandaime had enough mercy to keep him alive and away from the clutches of the council who had hoped to use him as a weapon of destruction. The fourth even wished for his child to be looked upon as a hero for keeping me at bay, doomed to the weight of carrying me within him, and yet, death would have been mercy for what you wished to do to him. There was but one person who deigned to follow a dying mans wish and even that ended in utter failure and betrayal. The irony is simply too perfect!" She laughed at that, it truly was one of the saddest things that could happen. Even the one who had tried to help him was cause for his abandonment. "He even has one listed godparent, someone who likewise, abandoned him for reasons unknown, coincidentally being reunited with him thirteen years later. He too, has kept these secrets from my young host. But nevertheless, it shall be fun to watch what happens when he learns of all this. I imagine he won't believe me at first, but in time, he will. And to speed things up, this village will turn on him."

At that Homura looked at her strangely, no longer able to speak and quickly losing his ability to breathe as his lungs filled with his precious blood, strangling him from the inside. Seeing his expression, the Kyuubi explained, "Why do you think I am here tonight? You, along with others I have chosen will be my pawns to spur the villagers to action against my host. The villagers will be my trigger, and Naruto will be my weapon. They will lash out at him in ways that never before have been permitted, with or without the permission of that old bitch in charge. And when all is said and done, he will fight back. He will raze this village to the ground in my place before I usher him to my release. First will be this village, then those fools who sought to control the power of myself and my sisters. One by one the people of this world will fall to their knees and never again shall they attempt to control what they should be worshipping!" She finished before viscously clawing at his throat, not willing to let him leave this world in moderate peace.

Blood sprayed over the demons face and body and she was all too happy to lick what she could clean. Another kunai appeared in her hand, this one wrapped in a paper towel that she procured from her host's apartment before leaving. The other hand quickly found its way into her jacket pocket and came out holding the phial of the blond's blood. She bit into the cork and pulled it out with a jerk, careful not to spill any of it. The blood soon found its way to the right edge of the kunai before she placed it in Homura's now cold and dead hand. She took the other kunai that he held previously and placed it in her coat pocket.

Taking one last look at the scene before her, she henge'd back into the form of Naruto and disappeared in a swirl of flaming blue chakra, leaving the body in plain sight knowing that it would be found early the next day when he failed to show up to the scheduled council meeting.

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The blond plopped down onto his bed next to the still sleeping demoness. Apparently that seal took a hell of a lot out of her for her to still be sleeping like this. After the labors of the day were done, it was simply too tiring to think about it. He collapsed in a heap next to her on his side of the bed, lulling into the sweet dreams of ramen and Sakura-chan. He never noticed the eyes of his roommate sliding open, nor the vicious smirk that plastered itself on her face.

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**A/N:**I had to actually end it there or this chapter would have been nearly doubled from it's current length. I didn't want to, so I tried to make it as decent an ending for this chapter as I could without making it feel, cut off.

Sorry for the delay, I actually took a little time to fine-tune the plot itself, though I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised at how it develops. I will go ahead and tell you this isn't some 'goody two shoes Kyuubi who loves Naruto for all the hardships he's faced' story or anything like that. Nor is it one of those, 'six year old Naruto meets Kyuubi and she turns him into the lord of hell' stories either. Quite frankly, those stories tend to suck. She's a demon from the darkest pits of hell people, a little hardship on a human is nothing to the horrors I'm sure she's done onto others. She likes to torture, and basks in the fires of chaos and destruction, with a little gloating as all beings of power tend to do. So please, if you're going to review, at least don't ask for one of those goody Kyuubi stories.

I like some of the suggestions that have been made and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported this story through its infant phases. I'm thinking that this story may stretch to at least 150-200 thousand words if not more. It somewhat depends on the details I have to fill in to reach the ending and different plot points I have in mind, it leaves a fair bit of room for development. Anyways, read, review, like it or hate it, let me know what you think and any suggestions you may have, or errors if you find any. I delight in reading through reviews. In fact, at this point, I'm craving an honest and full review, please critique and give your opinions on it when you review. Or PM me with your review/opinions,I'd be more than happy with either.

**Kyuubi**: I delight in drinking blood.

**SMFox1987**: ...Aren't you supposed to be asleep…or plotting something?

**Kyuubi**: Actually, I was planning on seducing you so I could use your power as the author to my advantage.

**SMFox1987**: Well…that was kind of blunt.

**Kyuubi**: Wanna go make babies?

**SMFox1987**: 'passes out'


	6. Rain of Blood

**Bond of Flame: Uzumaki Naruto**

**SMFox1987**

**Disclaimer: This is a hostile take-over…don't anybody move! Naruto is now the official property of SMFox1987 and anyone who says otherwise will get the worst case of pink eye imaginable courtesy of Itachi. He's sick of all this hate Kishi is bringing him and has decided to rebel and join the righteous cause that he knows I represent.**

**An arrow flies through the window with a court order.**

**SMFox1987: 'reads' "WTF I'm being sued for character theft? BUT HE SIDED WITH ME!! He was sick and tired of being abused by an ungrateful creator!"**

**Another arrow flies through the window imbedding itself in the top of the beanie hat SMFox1987 donned with pride, ripping it from his head before imbedding itself in the wall.**

**SMFox1987: 'reads' "Itachi, you have a contract; quit bitching and get your ass back here so Sasuke can pluck out your eyes. -signed Kishimoto"  
**

**Itachi: "This is my reality."**

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**Chapter Six – Rain of Blood**

To say the day was eventful was an understatement. When the morning sun rose to meet the horizon it beckoned the people of Konoha to awaken. Its' red rays shined against the darkened rain clouds that threatened to fall over their heads at any moment. Thunder roared high in the sky and yet, not a single droplet fell to greet the earth.

The effect was disconcerting to many who woke up to the sight. It looked as if it ever did fall, it would rain blood instead of the precious liquid of life. It would be a rain of death.

The irony was not lost on the face of one Elder Koharu as she sat in the council chamber to the left of the Godaime Hokage. The usual people were all there, the various clan figureheads as well as a few of the more important citizens of Konoha. The only spot that seemed to be empty was the one directly across from here where her late teammate would often sit. But she knew he would never sit there again.

The death of Homura, her teammate and friend, was a significant point in her life. It was hard enough facing the reality of the situation when Sarutobi died. While she may not have agreed with him on a great many subjects, and while their views differed more than any other as far as teammates go, he was still that…a teammate and a friend. Now with her only remaining teammate gone, Koharu was the last left of the elderly trio, and she fully intended to make sure the one responsible for that development would pay.

"Tsunade," she began, her elderly voice crackling with every syllable. One might think she was on the brink of tears if they weren't so sure that age had turned her heart to stone. "Has the blood been analyzed yet?"

"We are efforting that as we speak. I am more concerned with why this happened in the first place. Whether or not this was a foreign shinobi or a murder within our own ranks must be discussed. If it was indeed a foreign shinobi, then we must consider who would have taken such actions, and why Homura of all people." Her voice was commanding to say the least. The fact that she didn't elaborate on the second possibility, the chance that it might be one of their own, did not leave any in the council room in the dark. None of them wanted to consider that possibility. And for the time being, none of them wished to discuss it.

To her surprise, it was not Koharu who spoke next, but Aburame Shibi, the current clan head for the famous group of bug users. "Homura-san would not have been targeted for any political movement seeing as he was involved in none. Nor would it have been to lash out at an important figurehead. Though he was a member of this council, and an elder advisor, he was neither a clan head nor a bearer of any such titles. He would not be considered a great loss to Konoha," he finished in a heavy monotone typical of the Aburame.

"How dare yo-" Koharu tried to shout, but found herself halted by the forceful upraised hand of the Godaime Hokage. She immediately pushed the hand away from her and continued despite the objections of Tsunade. "No! I will not have anyone spitting on the memory of my teammates!"

"I beg pardon if I seemed to be insulting, I was merely stating the logic of the situation. Though he will be missed emotionally, and by many, he was not in fact of great importance to Konoha should something go amiss. That is all. Please calm yourself Elder Koharu-san." His words seemed to placate her anger and she sat back down, unaware that she had even bolted to a standing position in the first place. The elder sighed before waving a dismissive hand at the man and beckoning them to continue. Her face was still in a grimace, but her anger was no more.

"A personal grudge perhaps?" offered one Hyuuga Hiashi. He sat just two seats down from Koharu, to the left of Inuzuka Tsume and to the right of a regular civilian councilman. He would usually keep quiet unless something concerned his own clan, but this situation provided for a possible attack or infiltration into Konoha, and such things would affect everyone in the village. It wouldn't be the first time a foreign shinobi went after the Hyuuga clan and their precious bloodline. It was in his clans, as well as the village's best interest to discover the meaning behind these events as quickly as possible.

Nara Shikaku was the one to elaborate on that from across the large rectangular table. "As a shinobi he surely made enemies somewhere down the line. It wouldn't be the first time someone was killed for carrying out their duties to their village. However, Homura has been inactive for a great many years. Very few are capable of continuing their life as a shinobi at such an age. Sandaime-sama was a rare exception."

"You mean to say he would have been attacked sooner had it been a personal grudge? I suppose that makes sense. If he has been inactive for such a time, why would someone out for revenge wait so long before exacting it?" added a hefty sized man sitting directly across from the Nara clan head. Akimichi Chouza had always been around his teammates and friends. Even outside the countless missions they had undergone in their youth, they hung around each-other. They were even drinking buddies, often spending long nights on the town together with naught but each-other and a mug of alcohol. Their relationship as friends had developed to a point that he could always sum up the thoughts of each of the two others with little trouble.

Often being the brashest of the group of elites, Inuzuka Tsume decided to state the obvious for all of them, summing the conversation up until this point. "So it wasn't for political causes, personal grudges, or to hurt this village. Then what other possible reasons are there?" The question was a difficult one, what other possibilities were there?

"Personal grudge is still a possibility," interjected Hiashi, not wanting the conclusion he came to in his mind to be overlooked.

"How so," replied Koharu. She was curious. Like Shikaku had said, it had been a long time since Homura was on active duty, and those old grudges would be long overdue. Her long-time friend and teammate had not done anything to anger anyone in the last ten years that she could think of, unless it was under her nose.

"The possibility remains so long as the person in question only recently found out about what he'd done. Perhaps this person who murdered him was unaware of his past deeds and only recently found out?" His elaboration was correct, it was a possibility.

Their discussions on the topic continued for a while, almost strictly between the clan heads and the elderly Koharu and Tsunade. For the most part, the citizen figureheads tended to stay out of affairs such as this. It simply didn't concern them. This was the job of the shinobi; war time affairs, deaths, anything related to those matters were handled by them and the figureheads were content to stay quiet unless it concerned them.

As the conversation developed to a point where they had to consider it being the work of one of their own, the door burst open, as if in response to the dreaded and unasked question. In that doorway stood none other than Shizune, Tsunade's personal student and apprentice. Her face was a deathly pale with her short dark hair slightly ruffled, as if she had just ran all the way here like her life depended on it. Her appearance clearly stated what she could not bring herself to do, whatever this was, it was bad. Walking over to Tsunade she handed her a brown envelope before quickly bowing and silently making her way back out of the room, closing the door as she left.

The room remained silent as the Hokage carefully opened the envelope and began to scan the slip of paper inside. Councilman and women alike watched at the spectrum of facial expressions that crossed her visage as she read the paper. Eagerness, anticipation, and soon to follow, fear. That fear quickly turned into anger, and then all out rage. The slug sannin slammed the envelope down along with her balled up fist, cracking the sturdy oak table that had been brought into the council room specifically for such outbursts, and even then most were amazed that it withstood the force of her legendary strength.

Tsunade stood and immediately began to march out of the council room, resembling the mustered and combined forces of hell more than an aged Hokage she truly was underneath her youthful facade. Before she could tear down the door and leave she was stopped by the voice of one brave citizen who was dumb enough to question her when in such a mood. "Hokage-sama, what is wrong, do you know who is responsible?"

Her reply was surprisingly calm, a fact that disheveled most in the room. "No, and I am afraid we will be incapable of discovering that knowledge through the blood. While it was originally thought that Homura-san had managed to injure the assassin, I now have reason to believe that it was planted there. Whoever killed Homura-san wanted to frame someone and I intend to find out why." With that, the Hokage turned and left the room, slamming the door hard enough to break it from it's recently replaced hinges, leaving the council to ponder her words.

Koharu picked up the crumpled piece of paper that Tsunade had left behind and began to unfold it. Once it was finally to a point where it was legible to her aged eyes, she began to read. When she reached the end, the slip of paper dropped from her grasp and her visage turned to one of fear, and anger. It looked much like Tsunade's own face with the exception of the reason. She knew the bonds Tsunade had formed with this particular person, and knew all too well that it may be clouding her judgment on the matter. At the questioning glances of the council she simply spat out two words with a venomous tone, "Uzumaki Naruto."

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Uzumaki Naruto awoke late the next day, having slept in until noon. It wasn't too surprising really. He had been lucky to have woken up in time to drag his butt back to his apartment in the first place. The mental fatigue and strain of this kind of training he was undergoing were out of this world. He had passed out after dispelling them around seven the previous night. Kakashi, who had arrived later that evening to oversee his training, had already left and he had been left there in the dirt for a good three full hours before he woke up and regained enough strength to get home. He probably would have continued sleeping if not for the heavy thing he felt climb on top of him. He tried to shrug it off at first, but it simply wouldn't budge from its position over him.

His eyes snapped open to stare into the darkened crimson orbs of the kitsune. Her face lacked the whisker marks and her eyes were no longer slit. She was still the epitome of beauty but the many features that gave her the truly exotic appearance were now gone. She was still garbed in one of the many orange outfits with one glaring exception. The top was left unbuttoned and the netted undershirt that went with it was hardly covering anything at all. She gave a smug smile seeing that he was finally awake. At present, she was straddling his body in a rather compromising manner, one that he couldn't help but blush at.

He drearily wiped the sleep from his eyes before he started his first in a long line of questions that sped through his mind, "What are you doing?"

"Seducing you." Her voice was a sultry sweet melody to his still adjusting ears. She leaned forward and before the young man had any time to even process her words let alone form a defense against the intrusion, she planted a long drawn out kiss on his lips. His eyes closed for a moment, basking in the honey taste of the silken walls that pressed against him. He felt something press against his lips and they quickly gave way for whatever it was, almost as if working apart from his own body, a separate entity on their own. This thing that invaded his mouth explored every crevice of it before it began to playfully lap against his own tongue.

Naruto's eyes suddenly shot open and he attempted to bolt from the bed. What he didn't plan on however, was having both arms pinned to the bed by his 'assailant'. Somehow, during their exchange, which still continued as he struggled to get out of the bed, the kitsune had managed to pin both his arms down above his head, holding each down by the wrist with her own hands.

As she continued to invade and explore his mouth, the blond struggled to concentrate enough to reach inside himself for that familiar string of chakra. It was a difficult task for him to pull off.. Concentration was never his strong suit, and concentrating through this barrage was even harder still. Then there was the difficulty in deciding if he really wanted to find that string or…delay it just a little longer. After finally finding the chord, he quickly gave it a sharp tug, not enough to sever the link, but enough to jerk the demoness back and push her off him.

He leapt from the bed and landed on the hard wood floor like a cat that just got a hose down before turning on the smirking demoness and glaring. If looks could kill…she would be dead at the moment, or at least that's what he'd like to think. To everyone else it just seemed like a big goofy expression one might make when constipated. That effect however was lost on the Kyuubi. He pulled on that string of chakra, and that meant he was serious.

"What the hell do you mean s-seducing me?!" His reply was loud enough that had there been anyone else in the nearby area, they most certainly would be curious as to whom was 'seducing' someone nearby. He mentally smacked himself for that, as well as the uncharacteristic stutter that stabbed him in the back. For the love of god he was Uzumaki Naruto, the number one loudmouth and surprising ninja of this whole damned village…he did not stutter no matter what the situation. His voice had betrayed him, and betrayal was a rather sore experience where the blond was concerned.

"Ah, I forgot, humans are particular when it comes to 'intimate' situations. I suppose you could call it a reward for having kept your bargain. It's the simple truth of the matter; you did not have to do any of this and there would be nothing I could do to sway your mind. I'm sure I could annoy you until the day you die, but I still would have no way of forcing your hand. But that is not the case. Over a ridiculous children's game, you kept our deal and allowed me a small token of fresh air. You made the effort to procure the materials for the seal, donated a large sum of time and effort to my cause, and you have…put up with me over the past few days." She turned her head away from him after that last part, as if unable to look him in the eyes after that little admittance of truth.

That last part had to be forcefully pried from her lips through sheer willpower. The demoness did not wish to speak of herself in such a manner, no matter what the reason. She was the top bitch in this world; she had the power and the strength to decimate any who dared to defy her. But she was also an incredibly intelligent creature. You don't live for an eon or more without learning a thing or two about the human psyche. This situation required finesse if she was to diffuse his anger, and like it or not, as she had just told him, he was the one ultimately in control.

Her plan seemed to be working as Naruto showed all the signs of calming down. His anger left his grim visage and quickly turned into a bit of a grin. He rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner before giving his reply, "Well, I always keep my word, that's my nindo. But you don't owe me anything. Even if it was just to stay alive yourself, you've always been inside me, healing me when I'm hurt or sick and keeping me alive. I suppose this makes us even."

"I suppose so." She forced a smile on her lips. Not quite as she planned, though it worked just as well. It might be a little more difficult to sway his mind in her favor than she thought, but that just made it all the more challenging. This was the young mans weakest point- relationships and all that came with it. For someone who had never known a mothers love, or the care of a father, or even the gentle touch of love in his life, he would always be weak here. Deep down in his heart, this was what he truly craved. Acknowledgment, love, care….all the things that a family would be responsible for giving to a child. This was especially true in the world of a shinobi; forever locked in an infinite spiral of death.

A loud bang on the door drew the attention of both demon and container alike. The pounding on the solid wooden frame was almost enough to shake the entire apartment, not to mention the effects on their eardrums. Snapped from her thoughts, the demoness immediately went to the other side of the bed where she once again ducked down between it and the wall, concealing her presence and her chakra as much as feasibly possible.

The blond on the other hand slowly made his way to the door, taking his time to ensure that the apartment's newest and still unknown tenant was hidden. It was not yet time to try and introduce her to the public, and when she was, it would probably be best to be separate from him. If anything else, this would at least help alleviate any suspicions to her being the Kyuubi. How often does a person suddenly appear with no background information and never seen before, let alone being associated with him. In a village that was wary enough of just his existence, it could have dire consequences if they were to ever try and make such a connection; even more so since it would be true.

Reaching the door he opened it to reveal a panting Sakura. Her pink hair was matted to her face in sweat and she looked like she had just run a marathon against Gai doing laps around Konoha all morning. Her crisp green eyes looked at him with a sense of urgency that he had not seen on her face since their encounter with Sasuke not too long ago. She immediately reached into the doorway and grabbed his arm, jerking him out and dragging him off. He barely had time to close the door with his free hand as they left. "Sakura-chan what's wrong!?" His voice demanded an answer, wondering just what the hell happened to have her looking so urgent.

"I'm not sure but Tsunade-sama said it was urgent and to get you as quickly as I could. Maybe she found out something new about Sasuke-kun!" The blonds' eyes lit up at the possibility. Since the events of their last encounter, nothing had been heard on their wayward teammate. Jiraiya's spy network had not even detected anything about Orochimaru's whereabouts either. It was as if the two of them had fallen off the edge of the map completely. It was an amazing feat considering Jiraiya had kept tabs of his former teammate since the day he had left the village.

"We'll get him back for sure this time!" he replied happily. They were getting closer and closer. With each day they both got stronger. With each day they got one step closer. With each day, it became one less day until Sasuke was brought back to where he belonged – home.

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"Well? What do you think?" The deceptively young woman asked. She sat behind the large desk in the office of the Hokage with both hands in front of her face, just under her chin propping it up. Her elbows were planted firmly against the hard oak top and her chocolate colored eyes stared searchingly at her old teammate who was leaning against the far back wall in the corner, a dark look on his face.

"I could be Akatsuki. While they have shown that they are not afraid to take him directly from within this village, they aren't stupid either. This could be a way to force him from the village to make him an easier target." His reply was simple and grim, but it made sense. "It also makes sense since they are already here in the Fire Country."

"WHAT!!" Her outburst was loud and fierce, forcing the old man to wince and cover his ears. A pouting expression crossed his face at the look she was giving him, glaring daggers into his heart and soul. "What the hell do you mean their in the Fire Country? And you just failed to mention that until now!?"

"Well, that's what I came here to tell you originally but the moment I arrived you told me about this issue with Naruto and I never got a chance." He pouted even more as her anger seemed to grow. But instead of bashing his skull in or giving him another helping of rib soufflé by shoving his rib cage into his stomach, she schooled her features, sat down and calmed herself before replying.

"At this rate they might just succeed. Sarutobi-sensei barely held his stranglehold on the council by a thread. And that thread mostly came out of respect for our teacher that the elders had. They never did agree with him, but they held themselves in check with his presence still here. This situation could turn very bad very quickly." She didn't want to think about what would happen if this were to get out. It would incite a riot. Not one damned person in this village would use their brain and think logically before rushing out for bloodshed.

Jiraiya nodded and removed his back from the wall to stand straight and tall, his height giving him an impressive stature that commanded respect when it wasn't peaking through holes in bath houses. "What's your next move?"

"I sent Haruno Sakura to retrieve him and bring him here. After discussing the matter with him, I intend to reconvene the council and tell them about the Akatsuki being in the Fire Country. At the moment, it makes the most sense and it should buy us time to confirm that it's them. We'll also be sending out search parties. If they are in the Fire Country, then they will not make it out of here alive." Her voice got stronger with each word until it seemed as if she was shouting with conviction by the end. She was truly pissed at these developments. She had been in a world of relative peace for so long that she'd almost forgotten just how low people could go to get what they wanted.

She wasn't here during the Oto/Suna invasion, and had been out and about on her own with Shizune for a great many years before that. Ever since Dan passed away in her arms, she had given up on this life…this village…everything. She had given up everything and chose a live of peace, roaming, drinking, and gambling her pains away. She was naïve to think they wouldn't strike out in such a way. Everyone knew the greatest downfall of a jinchuuriki: fear. The fear of the demons sealed within them. The hatred for the past deeds of the demon, and the fear that they knew they could do nothing if the demon were to actually be before them. The jinchuuriki were an outlet for most villages that had one. They couldn't throw rocks and tear down the lives of the demons themselves, so they'd do it by proxy. They'd attack the host, thinking that in turn they were actually hurting the demon itself in some way. Some were even blinded by their idiotic ways, allowing themselves to believe that the host was the actual demon itself reborn in human form. Stupidity at it's finest.

A knock at the door gave way to a relieved Shizune who in turn gave way to Sakura and Naruto. The three of them entered the room together and short length dark haired girl immediately closed the door behind her. Both members of team seven lined up in front of Tsunade while Shizune took her place at the side of the room opposite of Jiraiya.

Naruto immediately saw his sensei and his demeanor brightened as a smile crept up to his face. "Ero-sennin, you're back! So this is about Sasuke then right?! Did you find them? Where's that snake-teme hiding him at?!" His exuberance could not be contained any longer as he berated his sensei with non-stop questions. They didn't stop until Sakura finally reached over and did everyone a favor by putting a hand in front of his mouth, a far cry from the traditional beatings she would deliver for such actions. But this involved Sasuke, and how could she bring herself to hit him for being excited about it when she herself was barely held in check?

"Slow down Gaki...and how many times have I told you to stop calling me that?!" He yelled back, a childish pout on his face at the nickname he had been given all those years ago. In all the time they'd been together, his name had never once left the young blonds mouth without the form of 'Ero-Sennin' or some other variation of the wretched title. He never could understand why he put up with it…after all; his work was a noble cause. He was famous world over and revered by all men...and even some women for that matter too. _'Stupid brat doesn't understand the true quality of my work!'_

"I'm afraid this isn't about Sasuke, Naruto." At this, both members of team seven had their happy and excited expressions fall drastically. That was certainly not what they wanted to hear. "We have a situation at the moment, and it somehow involves you Naruto."

"Eh? What involves me? I've been training really hard if that's what you're talking about. Kakashi-sensei taught me how to mix shape manipulation and with this new method it's going really fast! Just wait till you see my new jutsu! It's gonna kick so much ass!" His former exhilarance was quickly making a comeback with the thoughts of his new jutsu. Kakashi had told him all about how the Rasengan was incomplete, and how within another day or so, they'd be training to mix fire and the Rasengan together. He still had some more work to do on the fire manipulation itself, but it wouldn't be long and he could already feel the excitement of holding a an awesome new jutsu that not even the Yondaime Hokage himself could pull off.

Tsunade sighed at this before rubbing her hands against her face tiredly, a sign of age the age that her appearance hid from the world. "Last night, one f the elder advisors and councilmen, Homura-san was murdered." At this, both shinobi looked at her seriously. Murder was never good, but what the hell could that have to do with Naruto in particular? "From what we can tell, he was murdered last night at around seven or so in the main bedroom of his home on the edge of Konoha. Originally, we believed that he had managed to wound the assailant as he was found with a bloodied kunai in hand. However, recent developments have led me to believe that it was planted there."

"Planted? Tsunade-sama, what does this have to do with Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked, unable to hold her confusion any longer. Naruto on the other hand, looked dead serious. He had come to learn that sometimes it was best to just shut up and listen.

"I am getting to that." She replied with a halting hand in front of her, the gesture itself speaking the words she didn't, 'be quiet and let me finish'. "The blood was analyzed and recently came back; it was a perfect match for you, Naruto.

"ME!? Ba-chan, you don't think I did it do you!? I've been with Kakashi-sensei training!! JUST ASK HIM!!" His screaming outburst of a reply forced all those in the room to cover their ears protectively. Tsunade decided to end that train of thought here and now, before they all end up deaf.

"Baka! Of course not…If I believed that why would I have called you here!? Now shut up and let me finish! His mouth immediately closed and his objections ceased, the room turned as quiet as the grave as they all awaited her to finish.

"I know you would never do such a thing, an-" she began only to be cut off by Naruto yet again.

"Damn straight I wouldn't!"

Rather than receive a hard blow to the head from Tsunade for cutting her off…again, it was Sakura who did the job. With a hard smack to the back of his head she decided to step in for her master and put him on a leash. She wanted to find out what the hell was going on and they'd never get to it at this rate if he kept interrupting. "Shut up and listen." She said before turning her gaze back to Tsunade.

After an appreciative nod, the elder shinobi continued where she left off. "And, we know that the Akatsuki are in the Fire Nation at this moment. More than likely, they are setting you up," she finished with a sigh.

"Akatsuki again? Those bastards just don't learn. But why would they kill someone and try to set me up?"

Jiraiya finally stepped in, speaking for the first time since this discussion began. "We already know they would willingly come into the village to get you, but that would also be a lot of trouble for them. If they could somehow manage to get you thrown out of the village, maybe by turning the villagers against you, they wouldn't have to go through that extra trouble anymore now would they?

The room was silent as all the information sunk in. It was an eerie silence, different for each of them. For three of them most of what they felt was a little bit of fear mixed with worry. Naruto was in danger. Well…Naruto was always in danger, but this time it was worse. If the village finally turned against him…would there honestly be anything they could do to sway them? Sure, the Hokage could give orders, but if enough people were to take part, it could turn into an all-out riot; if not a complete rebellion. Such was the power of the fear the Kyuubi no Kitsune left behind in the hearts and minds of the villagers.

Sakura seemed to be the worst of the three. After the events of the Suna incident with Gaara, she had been made aware of a great many things that had been kept secret. She had been given access to files and information on Naruto and how he was the jailor for the ancient demon they were all told was destroyed. That was also the day that everything truly clicked for her. It all made sense, the looks, the rumors. Everything she had ever heard about Naruto before becoming his teammate, even his own behavior, everything finally made sense.

When she finally realized all of this, she found herself wondering how people could be so stupid. Not only the villagers, but everyone in their age group as well, herself included. If not for following the crowd, then for simply not questioning the great many things that, when she honestly thought about them, she realized never made much sense in the first place.

For two of those in the room however, there was nothing but determination. Jiraiya and Naruto both shared a knowing glance at each-other, sharing in the confidence that each of them now had. It was Naruto who finally broke the silence. "Let them come, I'll take em all on and when I'm done, they'll never mess with me or Konoha ever again- and even you can bet on that ba-chan!!"

His confidence was infectious. It spread to each of them filling them with similar feelings and shoving all doubts out the window. What were they worried about, this was Naruto. Not even hell itself could bring him down.

The irony of that thought was lost upon all of them, unknowing of the forces at work beneath their noses.

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In the distance standing atop the stone head of the Fourth Hokage, a fiery red-head smirked and smiled at her handiwork. Not quite as she planned, but it would do. That bastard was sending his goons to capture her now, and that interfered with her plans. Not enough to really change things, but enough to give that bitch of a Hokage an excuse to cover for her lovable little adoptive brother.

That would just delay things a bit, but it might even work to her advantage. She would use this chance to send that little prick a message about what happens when you mess with true demons.

"Uchiha Madara; for all the power within those wretched eyes, you cannot truly see. You have given me the key to everything. You had control over me, a feat unprecedented, and then you fucked it up and it ended with me being sealed. I suppose I should thank you, for in doing so you have given me the means to destroy you." She chuckled to herself at that thought before looking to the face of the colossus of stone beneath her feet. "And you, have helped me more than you will ever know. A fitting end if I do say so myself. Take heart in the knowledge that you were the strongest human I have ever met. And because of that 'heart', you will lose everything that you ever once held dear."

"You're soul suffers for an eternity in the belly of the Shinigami, but it will be nothing to the pain I will bring you when you see what you have set in motion. You're heart gave you a strength greater than any mortal has ever possessed. And now, it will cause you more pain than any other human has ever suffered, at my hands or those of my sisters." Her grin was wide as she spoke. Fifteen years of servitude and slavery were all coming to a close. And the back-pay was on it's way tenfold. She now had the means to crush anything and everything that had forced this situation upon her, and she fully intended to clean house.

"Then again, perhaps you can relax in the knowledge that if your son survives, I might just spare him if he joins me. If not then he'll most likely be the only one to suffer so much as you will. But then again, it might be fun to have him around." At this she licked her lips playfully before droplets of water finally began to rain down from the red hazed afternoon sky. "Do you weep for this pathetic village? Don't worry, they won't suffer…for long anyways." She laughed at this; it wasn't a loud or boisterous laugh. It was a low, malicious chuckle, filled with the sense of her sadistic and twisted victory.

With those parting words, the demoness left the stone faces of the Hokage monument. She wasn't really quite sure why she had gone there in the first place. Perhaps it was just to gloat over the man who won their last exchange and sealed her away. Perhaps it was to partake in the thrill of letting her former enemy know that she would have the last laugh, to let him know that his death meant nothing and only aided her further. Either way, the demoness was overjoyed. Things were in motion, and nothing short of the intervention of god itself would stop her from claiming her freedom and reclaiming the throne of power she once held.

The rain poured harder than ever as she left. It streaked down the curves of the faces of the Hokages. Oddly enough, it affected the face of the Yondaime the most. His hair shaded most of his face from the water. But unlike usual, a crack in the top right edge of his sculpture caught the rain and forced it down from the edges of his face. It streaked down to just under his right eye where it dripped endlessly down the remainder of his face, giving him the appearance of weeping. It was an eerie sight for all who stopped to look upon it. Their greatest hero, the Yondaime Hokage - Namikaze Minato, was crying.

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**A/N:**Well…I suppose the first thing I should say is sorry for the delay. For those who don't check my profile, I had a very hectic week between one sister being married, two sisters turning out pregnant, a brother who I haven't seen in two years coming down to visit, getting excruciatingly sick from bad food, sinus' and allergies…basically hell in general I suppose. For that I apologize.

Next, I would like to thank the reviewers who have given me wonderful ideas and support, it means a lot and it is greatly appreciated. And for those who don't check my profile, again, there is a new poll there where you can give your opinions on everyone's favorite hell spawn.

I think there is something I should clarify that one reviewer pointed out to me. It seems one of the plot developments could be taken in two separate ways to reach a similar conclusion so I thought I'd elaborate here. I may go back and change it later, but I have not decided yet.

The dream incident held two purposes, the first being to show Naruto the things she had planned for him and, as stated in the chapter, to show him enjoying the slaughter. The second thing was a timed sequence which she used to draw out a small portion of his blood (not just a few drops, but enough to coat the kunai used in the same chapter later on.). In the original dream sequence, this Kyuubified Naruto was supposed to attack Naruto, however, since he was not doing as he was supposed to, the Kyuubi was forced to surge her chakra to force it to happen. During this, the Kyuubi also cut a fair sized wound across his belly in synch with the attack. You see, shinobi are very keen and easy to awaken, however, since the mind was distracted by the pain in the dream happening at the exact same moment she hurt him, his mind simply waved it off rather than him bolting awake at being hurt.

Afterwards, she was attempting to heal the wound as quickly as possible while keeping him distracted to avoid him finding out about said wound…it just wouldn't do if he saw something as suspicious as his dreams turning to reality.

That was the second purpose and I would like to than liuaishan of Narutolounge for clarifying the alternate possibilities she came up with besides this. Now that I look back on it, I honestly didn't clarify enough things when I should have.

Now some of you might ask, why didn't she just take some blood when they were making the seals? The reason for that is because for this to work, she must avoid all suspicion from him. It would be difficult to sneak out a phial and fill it with blood without him noticing. Not to mention the fact that he would have noticed if there was a potion of the blood filled saucer emptied after he filled it.

Well I hope that clarified some things for some of you, if you have any other questions, please include them in reviews or check my profile and send me a message, thank you.


	7. Afterburn

**Bond of Flame: Uzumaki Naruto**

**SMFox1987**

**Disclaimer: "'Naruto' as well as all characters entitled therein are the intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto. While I may be the resident God of this story, I am in no way profiting from this fictional universe aside from self gratification and the knowledge that I took a story somewhere that countless readers can and will hopefully enjoy."**

**Ninja Lawyer #1: "Excellent Mr. Fox, you may return to your work now and please have a wonderful day."**

**Ninja Lawyer #2: "Shintenshin no Jutsu: Kai"**

**SMFox1987: "How the hell did Kishimoto ever get a Yamanaka to be his lawyer?"**

**Ninja Lawyer #2: "Promised more screen-time in the manga of course ."**

**SMFox1987: 'mutters' "Bastard."**

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**Chapter Seven - Afterburn**

The twilight of the afternoon sky kept it's darkened red hue as the rain continually pelted all that stood beneath it. The few rays that managed to strike through the grey veil of the clouds struck the rain in the eeriest angles, giving a few of the droplets a reddish tint, adding to the already disconcerting appearance that it had taken from the sky above it. It looked as if blood had somehow evaporated with the waters of the earth that made up that cloud; blood which was now raining down on the people of Konoha. It was a dreadful sight to all those brave enough to look at it.

Those of the council once again found themselves back in the council chambers of the Hokage's tower, having only mustered a brief intercession before being recalled for some newfound emergency. Councilmen and women alike all kept a rather somber face at the events of the day...could it honestly get any worse at this point? It was a foolish thought to be sure, but this day was already far from the norm. And the scene that was taking place outside the tower, the 'shower of blood' as some had begun calling it, only doubled and intensified the feeling of dread that wallowed up in each of them. Some for their recently fallen comrade, others for fear of that which might be responsible for his demise..

Previously, after hearing the name Uzumaki Naruto come from Koharu's mouth, many of the citizens on the council had burst out in anger and fear. Shouts of "the demon awakening" and how said demon should be "destroyed immediately" were quickly silenced by a few of the shinobi of the group. Rash behavior bred fear and panic, and it would certainly not help them in any way. With the intellectual minds of those like Aburama Shibi and Nara Shikaku, the citizens were quickly brought to complete silence before they were all dismissed for a brief recess to take in this information.

However, that intercession was interrupted by messengers who quickly sought out each member of the council and called them back to the chambers where Tsunade was awaiting them all with what the messengers had said was "An important development in the situation."

And now here they were again, each sitting at their designated seats around the large cracked oaken table, and each with a somewhat different look upon his or her face, Tsunade mused. Anger. confusion, interest, impartiality, and then of course, the ever stone-faced visage of Hyuuga Hiashi, the one who never allowed his emotions to betray his 'gentle' features.

It was a true wonder of nature how the Hyuuga clan head could look so fragile but stern at the same time. Some would even say it was a paradox of nature itself, one born of their beloved Byakugan; the smoothest white orb that could pierce anything with it's gaze. The thoughts of Hyuuga Hiashi remained a mystery to all who looked upon him.

Finally, after everyone was once again settled.down, Tsunade stopped her eyes from dancing around the room and began. "I have called you all back here so quickly to discuss a matter of urgency that I have been made aware of. As you all may know, there is an organization on the loose known as Akatsuki." She stopped her speech at this point to watch the expressions of those around her, hoping to gauge their reactions. As expected, two or the councilmen in the room quickly made the connection as to where this was going. Others, not quite as quick witted as the two, only looked on in confusion, unaware of the relevance to the situation.

Tsunade sighed, hating to explain something for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Akatsuki is a criminal organization comprised of ten S-ranked missing nin from the bingo book. As some of you may already known, that snake bastard used to be one of their members. At present, we know the names of at least four of their members: Hoshigaki Kisame, the monster of the Kirigakure, Sasori of the Red Sand, formerly of the Sunagakure, Deidara, the clay wielder of the Iwagakure, and of course, Uchiha Itachi, formerly of Konohagakure." She paused to take a breath and let that seep in. _'If nothing else, that last name would certainly have an effect,'_ she thought.

And as expected, for those who were ignorant, it did. Not a man of woman amongst them did not know the name of Uchiha Itachi, the man said to have slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, arguably the most feared clan snce the founding of Konoha. After a brief pause to let them get their thoughts in order, the Godaime Hokage continued. "As you may know, both Deidara, as well as Sasori of the Red Sands, were dispatched in a recent mission to the Sunagakure. The details of that mission are not important at the present, but something about that mission is: these are people who would willingly go into the heart of one of the five great villages to get what they want...the jinchuuriki."

"Is this you're big revelation? How does this even possibly relate to having that demon slaughter the lives of our people?" came the response from one particularly brave citizen councilmen. His fear had somehow given him enough strength to speak his mind...and he immediately regretted it. The tension in the room intensified immeasurably.

All eyes immediately directed at the man before finding their wayward gaze directed back towards the Hokage where they froze. She wouldn't really kill him...would she? Much to their surprise, and fear, unknowing if it had just made things worse or better, the Hokage calmed herself and did not lash out at the man. The legendary medic of the Sannin three, merely leaned back in her chair and put her hand against her face before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh. If they weren't sure of the seriousness of this situation before, they were certainly aware of it now. Hell had just frozen over.

"Hold your tongue and let me finish or I'll remove it from that mouth of yours, along with other extremities should another outburst like that occur again." Her response was brief and to the point and the man in question immediately crossed his legs reflexively, protecting the 'goods' lest he lose them. "Jiraiya, if you would please?" All eyes immediately found themselves in the back corner of the room behind and to the left from where Tsunade sat where the white haired sannin made himself known. It seemed as if he had been there the whole time, under the effects of one of his many concealment techniques.

After directing a glare at the man who caused Tsunade this grief, he began his own explanation. Tsunade would be a little too busy keeping her temper in check to speak beyond what she already had. "As she was saying before being interrupted, the Akatsuki have shown themselves more than willing to enter a village to claim what they're after, the power of the bijuu. They've done it before, and they'll do it again, but even they cannot fight off the full might of a village. If there were an easier way..." He paused, hoping that some of the smarter minds would make the connection for him. It always makes something easier to accept if people can make logical connections themselves. And with a situation as volatile as this, they would need all the acceptance they could get.

Shikaku was the first to respond, "You mean to say that if there was another way, such as lureing the target out of the village... and alone...?"

"Yes," Jiraiya retorted in a darkened manner, pressing the seriousness of the situation. "Or getting the target thrown out of the village altogether, left alone to defend himself with no help from his affiliated village."

"That would mean the Akatsuki are inside Konoha!" came the feral voice of Inuzuka Tsume. Her nose was already twitching in delight at the thought of the possible oncoming hunt. The nose of the Inuzuka were always used when such cases came around, and she longed for such occasions. The inactive life of being the clan head as well as a member of this council had limited her time for missions. Suffice it to say she had very few outlets to otherwise vent the frustrations that such things piled upon her shoulders. It was simply not within the nature of the Inuzuka to be caged in such a way, even if it was something that she knew had to be done.

The next one to speak was one that none of them had heard since this day begun. It was a middle aged woman who had been put on the council due to her political stature. Her business chain was famous throughout Hi-no-Kuni, and as such, it brought a great deal of wealth to Konoha, especially by having her on the council. It was sickening to some to think that such people were in charge of important village decisions like this, but it was a necessary evil. She pushed her finely dressed, shoulder blade length, curly brown locks to the side of her face before speaking out. "This all seems a little too convenient to me. We all know the both of you have connections to the boy so I'll just say what everyone's thinking right now. How do we know this isn't some ploy to save that brat from facing justice? How do we even know that these 'Akatsuki' are even here in the Fire Country?" She also apparently had a pair between her legs that were bigger than any of her fellow men on the council it seemed.

Jiraiya put a calming hand on the shoulder of his teammate, his grip firmer than normal to keep her in her seat, before speaking for her. "We already know the Akatsuki are in the Fire Country. The monks at a nearby temple were massacred yesterday by two men dressed in the garb of the Akatsuki. There was only one survivor, and he was lucky to survive and tell the tale."

And there it was, now they would either accept it or they wouldn't. The womans outburst had now made her look like an ass. And though it was difficult to accept such blatant ignorance and stupidity without tearing the woman apart themselves, it was helping them make their case. The faces of many of the shinobi councilmen now looked grim. This would mean that action would be in order, and they would have to send out search parties in an effort to apprehend such high ranking criminals. Before any of them could speak and suggest such a course of action, Tsunade spoke again.

"It's already being handled, and the call has already been sent out. The groups that have already been previously assembled for occasions such as this are already forming at the designated location. I will be addressing them shortly to give them their orders. They will be combing Hi-no-Kuni in groups of four to locate the two intruders." Her voice was tired, and for once in the time since becoming Hokage, it seemed like it might actually break.

Both Jiraiya and Tsunade knew that she would not be able to handle something happening to the newfound light of her life. Naruto was the one who brought her back to the world of the living. She had long since encased herself in a cold shell, living, but at the same time...not. Then along came that knucklehead blond who wormed his way through her barriers. All her defenses were shaken and he forced her to live her life again. Naruto had forced her to accept the world around her, as well as the position of Hokage. The thought of those which she was now sworn to protect, attacking the very one that gave her a new chance at life...it was almost too much for her to bare.

Despite her position as the Goadime Hokage, despite her temper and fierce attitude, despite her unyielding strength, Tsunade had fallen down too many times in the past to ever be able to pick herself back up again if something should happen to her newly acquired loved ones. "This council is dismissed for the time being. I will go to give out the orders to the assembled shinobi, so carry about your business and we'll see where these developments take us." With those words, Tsunade stood and made her way to the door, followed closely by Jiraiya, leaving the council to pick themselves up and carry out the tasks of the day.

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Naruto once again found himself at the door to his apartment shortly after the meeting with Tsunade and the old pervert. It was decided that he would not take part in the search parties that were being sent out. Instead, he would remain here and try to complete his training as quickly as possible. Due to the current situation, Jiraiya would be staying in Konoha to help him with that training as well now. It was simply too much of a risk to try and send him out this time. And if by some chance sending out shinobi was the plan of the Akatsuki all along, to empty the village of as many as possible, he would need protection if another attempt was made inside the village walls.

He was to meet up with Ero-sennin in an a few hours, and that was time that he intended to take full advantage of with a well deserved nap. Being awakened so...forcefully earlier that morning had been enough to shock his system into 'awareness', but it was hardly enough to maintain him for the day. He didn't even have a chance to lock his door after being drug away by his bubblegum haired teammate afterwards. Opening the door, he stepped inside and flicked the nearby light switch before closing and locking the door behind him. Sliding off his sandals, he quickly made his way through the short hall and into the living room turned bedroom where an unusual sight awaited him. Well, perhaps it was not so unusual...it seemed to be turning into a common sight for the young man now, apparently making it's grand appearance every time he saw her.

There, laying on his bed, was a half-naked red-head. Well, at least half-naked in a sense. She was 'technically' covered, but the fishnet top did little to nothing in hiding her still dripping wet assets. It seemed that the demoness had gone for a little stroll while he was out. In a rare moment of inspired intelligence, that thought worked it's way around his mind before tightly constricting around it. _'She's been outside...'_

"I see you've made yourself comfortable. After you get a real shirt on maybe you could tell me why you've taken an unplanned trip around the village?" He directed a hard glare at her before walking back towards the bathroom. A moment later he returned with a plain white towel to dry himself off and another of his infinite supply of orange jackets which he tossed at the demoness who, still remained lying on his bed. She sighed after the jacket landed on her chest, covering up that which she wanted to make sure was exposed. From her position on the bed, you could easily see the moisture from her body glisten in the light of the room as she finally began to slowly sit up.

Turning towards her captor she spoke, "What's the matter Naruto-kun? Do you not like the way I look? Is it not pleasing to your eyes?" Her voice was sickeningly sweet, carrying the undertones that clearly said what she did not. She tossed the jacket back on the bed where she was laying a moment ago and stood up, stretching her arms above her head in a manner that displayed her delicate features perfectly.

For the kitsune, or any female on the prowl, it was seduction 101...if at first you don't succeed, hammer away at it until that armor of your target comes off. And the moral armor that Naruto shielded himself with was indeed thick. Despite his perverted tendencies, especially after two and a half years of traveling with that old man, despite this being his area of 'weakness' as she called it, it would still take some time to break through to him. So she would continue to chip away, bit by bit until he finally gave in to the desires that he had long since buried deep within his heart.

Naruto however, despite the small blush on his face at the sight, turned his head before responding. "Don't change the subject! We already talked about this when you spoke to the clone. We agreed that you wouldn't go out without talking to me first. And even then, I have to know where you are at all times." His face was a deep red and his voice was as hard as he could make it under the current circumstances. Her allure was beyond anything he had ever known. It was obvious that it was making things 'difficult' for him to use his usual everyday attitude where he just tackled whatever problems he was having, ramming into it head first and breaking through...His mind froze on that last thought. _'Where the hell did that come from?_' He immediately shook his head free of the thoughts, blaming it on the return of his perverted teacher.

"Can you blame me for taking a walk in the rain? Fifteen years of being contained in that seal and I finally have a chance to enjoy the cool crisp waters of nature again, did you honestly expect me to stay put just because you were no where around to tell?" She made her way over the blond and walked passed him into the kitchen across the way, making sure to drag her smooth hand across his exposed chest through his now open jacket as she passed by. While trying to dry himself off, he had opened it to get the areas beneath his still dripping clothes with the towel. There was no point in changing, as he'd just be back out in this dismal weather soon enough. Jiraiya made it clear early in their training, neither rain or shine, nor all the power mother nature could muster would not delay or hinder their training whatsoever. Countless times during their years away from Konoha the young man was forced to endure heavy rains and cold harsh winds, but his determination saw him through it all of it.

The demoness reached the kitchen and turned her head back towards him with a mischievous grin before continuing. "If you're worried about a little cold water, I could always show you a few ways to get warmed up." She watched as Naruto's face turned beat red before continuing into the kitchen and to the cabinets near the fridge. She pulled out a package of ramen and tossed it to the table before grabbing the kettle from one of the stove burners and filling it with water. The demoness casually dropped it back on the burner afterwards and sat down to wait. It was a strange thing to see, but her body was completely human after all. It did adopt some demonic features from having her presence within it, but it still required the many things a human did, sleep, nourishment, and care. And while ramen was hardly considered nourishment, there wasn't much else in the low end apartment.

It wasn't all that bad though. While she was loathe to admit it, it did have a 'flavor' to it that was quite good. It wasn't blood or one of the other delicacies she used to often enjoy, but it still had some kind of allure to it. However, the fiery female wasn't quite sure what was the cause of this allure. Perhaps it was nothing more than a side effect of being sealed within someone who dined on it for so many years. Many of their features, likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses had been intermixed over the years along with their respective chakras. It was something she would certainly have to explore in the coming times. Perhaps the blond had inherited more of her tastes than he would let on, some of which could be useful in converting him.

Meanwhile, while the demoness was lost in her thoughts, the young man in the other room was equally perturbed. It felt like something kept pulling and tugging on him every time she did something like this. Naruto was no stranger to perversion, not by a long shot. As the creator of the infamous Sexy no Jutsu, and after spending years at the side of the self proclaimed legendary super pervert, it was almost like a second nature for him. But he had limits, ones that his moral barriers would not let him pass...but this...it was confusing to him, and whatever it was certainly wasn't normal. Every time he caught her scent.It felt like some sweet honey dewed nectar had wrapped itself around his mind, whispering words of sweet heavenly bliss to him Her words entered his ears on a melodius tune, gently riding the waves of her hot breath, enticing him like the songs of the Siren. Her tender touch left an intense flame whenever it came into contact with his skin, never searing the flesh but hot enough to make him want to scream. _'What the hell is going on? What the hell did she do to me!?' _His mind screamed at him to not say anything, to sit back and enjoy it, but Naruto had never been one to listen to the damn thing. "What the hell did you do?!" He yelled out loud before finally turning towards the kitchen and his tenant.

"Do? I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate, I've done many things in my life...perhaps you would like me to add you to that list?" She smiled knowingly, but inside, even she was a little curious as to where this was going. Had he really already cracked so far from just the little enticing she'd done? Or was something else going on..._'Interesting'_ she thought.

"Don't play dumb. What have you done to me?!" He felt like he was on fire. His breathing was quickly growing ragged from exertion and his heart felt like it was going to explode. It kept beating faster and faster with no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

The demoness looked at him curiously, screwing her eyes down a pinch and looking at him with a contemplative stare. That was a good question..."I haven't done anything to you. Or have you forgotten, if something happens to you, I go down with the ship. I can however, find out what's going on...but I'm afraid you would have to remove those pesky clothes first." She stood and walked towards him warily, but once she got within a few feet, he held up his hands and jumped backwards in an attempt to distance himself from her. "I take it you don't want help then..."

Naruto stared at her for a moment, wary at first, but his mind soon overrode such fear. She was right, he realized. If something were to happen to him, she would suffer the consequences as well. Of all those in the world, he was the one she couldn't touch at the moment without suffering herself. He finally nodded to her and began to remove his clothes, piece by piece until there was nothing left. The first thing he noticed as he removed them, was the uncanny hue of his skin. It was practically glowing red, as if he'd just received a terrible sunburn. It seemed as if it were slowly pulsing, glowing a deeper red and getting hotter with each pulse. It looked as if he were being cooked alive from the inside...

Meanwhile, the Kyuubi moved her hands quickly to form a seal and remove the illusion seal covering her body. The thorn like blue and red wreathe around her waist made it's presence known before it began to softly glow, the blue emitting a blue light while the red began emitting red. The two lights, at first entwined, began to separate from each other into two separate lines. The thorns on her body unraveled themselves until two individual lines were in the previous wreathes place, one blue and the other one red. Her demonic features immediately reappeared on her face and body, sharpened nails, pronounced feral whisker marks, slit red pupils and all.

By now, the blond was completely undressed and she beckoned him to lie down on the bed. Complying quickly, Naruto did so, pulling himself onto the bed with more than a little bit of effort. It was now a fight just to breathe for him and his temperature was still rising...it was a wonder he was still alive from the looks of him...let alone conscious.

The feral looking woman stared at his body on the bed and licked her lips before a frown marred her features...if only it weren't an apparently serious situation. She formed four quick seals with her hands before stopping and bringing her index fingers to the outer corners of her eye sockets. White lines tinged with a touch of blue began to stretch across the dark red of the scelera in her eyes. They began to twist their way around the pupil, stretching until a complete circle was made around it. From that newly formed outer circle, miniature web-like blue lines stretched across the eye, filling in everything within that line. When it was finished, it looked like a spider had built a web across her pupil.

The blue threads began to glow as she stared as his body harder. His skin slowly became transparent to her vision as her her sight shifted to meet the purpose of these newly formed eyes. Soon she was staring at his entire chakra system and she immediately frowned. All throughout his body, red chakra was surging upwards towards his upper body, its speed and the force of it's movement causing the extreme heat to his body. Although, her chakra, with its powerful heat and potency, probably would have had a similar effect even if it weren't surging and causing such extreme friction within his body. It seemed as though all of her chakra was surging towards his head, or more specifically, to where all sensory receptors are controlled..._'Well, that explains what was happening with his senses. It must be causing some kind of sensory overload. And since it's my chakra causing it, I become the only thing he senses. But what is causing the chakra to surge through his body...what is drawing it to that point'_...The thought lingered and ran through her head as she examined him until she realized something..._'The connection.'_

"Well, I believe I know the cause...I doubt you can hear me by now, with the stress that is being placed on your body from the inside. So I suppose we shall talk again from that abominable seal then..." With that said, she walked towards the kitchen only to return a moment later with treys of ice from the freezer half of his fridge. She set to work dumping the ice from the treys, three in total, all around her jailer. Once it was done, she took one last glance at him before seeking out a decent place to hide her own body. _'The shower stall' _came to her mind and she made her way there. She made her way down the hall and into the bathroom where she stepped into the shower stall and closed the glass pane door. Her hands formed the Ram seal while while she pulled her chakra towards her own neck. The collar seal around her neck began to turn and stretch to reveal what appeared to be a small human figure on her neck wrapped in nine lines. Upon closer inspection, one could tell they were tails.

The red-haired beauty began to focus her chakra into the figure and the nine tails began to glow red before they slowly edged off of the human figure on the seal. The effect was immediate. Her body dropped to the floor against the corner of the shower stall, now nothing more than a lifeless shell. The remaining demonic chakra in her body began to float outwards from her body before dissipating into thin air, her consciousness now back within the seal and no longer there to maintain its presence.

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Naruto soon found himself drawn into the recesses of his mind and the seal. He no longer seemed to be burning up or suffering in any way. _'I guess whatever it was has stopped.'_ He quickly made his way through the labrynth of tunnels and towards the cage of his tenant. Once there he again found himself staring into the dark red eyes of the demon fox, once again in her true form, tails sweeping behind her in all their glory and might. "I guess this is where you explain what the hell that was?" His words were loud and boisterous, but there was little malice hidden within them. Even he had realized by now, whatever the hell it was, she must have stopped it or she wouldn't be in her cage, and he wouldn't be here at all.

**"And I thought you would have learned to show a little more gratitude. Yet again I save your life and yet again I hear not a single word of thanks. I thought your weak little village prided itself on it's sickeningly good mannerisms."** The demon fox's reply was neither loud nor boisterous. Despite it's massive size, it seemed even the demon could tone it's voice down enough to be cynical and obnoxious.

His reply was just as snide, "I've never been one to follow the rules now have I? So start talking!" He walked back to his favorite spot in this dank room, propped against the wall near the entrance where he plopped his butt down unceremoniously, sitting cross legged, and looked at her expectantly.

**"I suppose not."** She said before similarly dropped down into a laying position. Even in the darkness of the room he could make out her massive form. Her hind legs were curled beneath her and her enormous front paws lay'd across one another in front of her. Her tails wrapped around her sides in a protective manner, resembling a blanket more than tails. **"There is a time limit it seems."**

"Time limit? For what?" Naruto asked curiously

The demoness sighed, this was take a while to explain. **"For my presence to remain outside of your body. My chakra has always been present within your body, with my own consciousness to guide it as needed and keep it from destroying you, which would of course, destroy me as well. It..."** she began only to be cut off by the blond.

"Hey hold on...you don't control the chakra...if you did, wouldn't you have killed everyone I ran into by now? You need me to hand over the control like when I pull out too much of your chakra and can't handle it."

**"Of course I don't have that much control you moron. Do you really think I'm that stupid? What I do control however, are things like the regenerative process. I may not be able to extend my influence far, but do you honestly believe yourself capable of controlling my chakra in a manner that would regenerate your body? Do you honestly think that my chakra, a powerful entity that acts like a poison to any and all who touch it would simply 'spare you' if it wasn't for my active influence? That is my doing, and that all remains within my realm of control." **Her voice showed her irritation at being underestimated so much. She would have thought by now that he would comprehend such matters.

"You weren't kidding then. You really have been saving my life..." He lowered his head at that, his eyes dropping slightly. He'd always somewhat given her credit for the many times she'd healed him or brought him back from the brink of death. But he'd thought it was just her presence that was responsible. The young blond had never considered that she had been actively controlling the chakra to make that stuff happen. It was truly a somber thought for the young man. _'I really do kind of owe her then...Then again, none of this would have happened if she weren't in me to begin with...'_

**"As I was saying before being interrupted,"** at this the blond looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his head in his usual manner. **"Your body could not handle the strain of having the chakra run rampant without my control for so long. Over time, it has built an immunity to the damaging effects due to our chakra's intermixing, but it is still capable of being quite harmful. And for some reason, though I know not why, it was flooding your brain, or more specifically, the parts responsible for your senses." **She paused for a moment when she saw her container begin to open his mouth.** "Don't interrupt, I will explain. I've become accustomed to having to explain everything by now." **She added with a something of a sigh on the end. It really was quite difficult to tell when she was on this monstrous form.

**"You're brain acts as a control center for the rest of your body including all your various sensory organs. My chakra was completely enveloping this part of your brain, so much so that it caused an overload for the various senses. And seeing as it was my chakra overloading it, I became the object that all your senses focused on. My words, my touch, even my taste, all of it would have become intoxicating to your mind."** The demoness gave a rather evil looking smirk at that last part. At least it looked like it to Naruto. Then again, he wasn't even sure if a gigantic demon fox was even capable of forming such facial expressions.

"That would explain a lot of things," he nodded with a relieved expression on his face. _'Thank Kami I'm not insane!'_

**"Actually no, it does not," **came his prisoners response, quickly dashing his rising hopes. ** "It explains the sudden extremes and what happened to you earlier but it does not explain why it happened at all. The lack of my presence should have caused my chakra to slowly go haywire, an oversight that should not have occurred. However, that does not explain why my chakra went after the sensory receptors in your brain."**

That caused the young blond to pause in thought. He could no longer blame all those thoughts on her chakra now. _'Damn it!' _His right eye twitched rather comically to go with the thought. "So what caused it then?"

**"I can only speculate. Perhaps your body was trying to consciously seek me out in some way by filling your senses to strengthen how they perceived me. Perhaps by covering your senses, my chakra sought to fill the void left by my absence. Or perhaps, it was merely acting upon your own emotions at the time. It would certainly be a pleasant and useful 'tool' if we could ever duplicate it without the harmful side effects, such as having my chakra surge through you in such a manner." **At that last word she finally raised herself from the wet ground of the cavernous cell, stretching her powerful appendages and giving off a mighty yawn as her front legs reached the pinnacle their length from her body. In a flash of red light, she was once again in a human form, completely bare for her blond jailor to see.

"LIKE I WOULD EVER WANT THAT!" He practically screamed the words at her while jumping up to his feet as fast as his legs could force the rest of his body up. He pointed at the demon in the cell before shouting his next words in an accusing manner, "You're a bigger pervert than that damn Ero-sennin!"

Her sultry voice danced out once again with her ever present reply, always ready to deliver the final words of an argument. **"And yet you didn't deny the presence of such emotions." **Her grin grew wide at that as her features turned into a mischievous. **"Am I to take that as an admittance that you want me?"**

He froze at that last biting remark. _'DAMN IT!'_ His mind screamed at him for this atrocity. Once again he found himself wishing he'd trained his mind to be a little more articulate for occasions such as this. Even he would admit that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed and though he'd have his insightful moments, he just wasn't capable of being as witty as many of the people he surrounded himself with. "Shut up!" he yelled back, unable to grasp any better comments. "Why are you doing this?" he queried after the end, his mood becoming somber at this back and forward exchange. _'Why the hell does she keep this up?'_

To his red-maned tenant though, his thoughts would have seemed pretty damn intelligent at the time. For someone who belittled his own thoughts, he sure had a way of being insightful at just the right time...or wrong time as far as she was concerned. Her brow raised as she scoured her mind for an appropriate reply. This was bad, she'd never expected questions like this. _**'These oversights are beginning to piss me off. Am I really losing my touch this much?'**_ The thought was enough to give her pause. When she took on a grim visage and did not reply, the blond chose to repeat his question.

"Well? Why are you doing this? Or do you really not know?" His face had darkened somewhat and his words were quiet...too quiet for someone of his nature. The change on his face was hardly noticable in the faint light of the room, but it was pretty clear to the Kyuubi. She'd knew his face well enough that she could read his expressions even in the pitch black of night if such an need were to ever arise.

The Kyuubi's thoughts became a little more erratic. Things like _**'What answer to give,' **_and _**'Is there even a right answer for this?'**_ She could always tell him that she wasn't completely evil but he'd never buy it unless she had something to back it up. That's when a new thought occurred to her. _**'Madara!**_ Her mind began to race with her rampant thoughts. Plans within plans began to rush through her brain, each one being processed with every possible outcome and benefit. A full fifteen seconds after her jailors last words, she finally gave a reply.

**"I don't suppose you would believe me if I said I care? That I'm not a completely heartless wretch out to destroy everything just because I feel like it?" **She gave him a heart-warming smile, and as predicted, all she got in return was a rather disbelieving look from the blond on the other side of the cell; no longer leaning against the wall but still standing next to it.

"That's the best you can come up with? Then why the hell did you try to destroy Konoha fifteen years ago!?" His response gave him a little satisfaction at coming up with a good question to disprove her last remark. However, it had an unforseen side effect on himself as well. The blond began to wonder just why she attacked Konoha in the first place and why the hell he had never asked such a question before now. It was as if everyone, himself included, had just decided that it was because she was a demon and didn't need a reason. Even if she didn't answer, the chance of learning the true motives of the demon who took so much from the people of Konoha would always be a welcome piece of knowledge and worth asking such a simple question.

The still naked demoness smiled at him, an unexpected face that the young man across the way did not expect to come with any answer she could possibly give. _**'So predictable.' **_She took a moment to gather her thoughts and all the information she intended to provide. She would simply tell the truth for once. After all, it would certainly make things interesting. And in the end, though it might not be her hand sticking through the heart of that Uchiha bastard with his accursed Sharingan eyes but it would be her that controls it. She would be the puppet master in this grand play she was designing. _**'All the pieces are in place, the scene is set, and the puppets are ready. Let the show begin...' **_ She was certain beyond any shadow of a doubt that this was going to be the greatest show in the history of the elemental nations, and not only was she it's creator, but she would have a front row seat as the one pulling the strings! **"Tell me child, what do you know of Uchiha Madara?"**

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**A/N: **Dun dun dunnnn...The stage is set. The actors are ready. What kind of bloodshed will come to pass in the Kyuubi's grand puppet theater? The greatest show in the history of man is about to begin, and we all have front row seats! Expect the next chapter to be much sooner in coming than this one was!

Anyways, this chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought. Even after having an original done, and losing everything, and rewriting it...I still ended up redoing the whole thing a third time. Anyways, if you check my profile, you'll know the reason for the heavy delays on this chapter, though personally I would like to think it was a blessing in disguise. I noticed a few errors that forced drastic changes on this chapter.

I feel like I'm playing connect the dots with the major/minor plot points. I know where the major points go, and yet, all the minor points are hardly visible and I have no idea what order to place them in. So feel free to toss in your ideas and opinions either via review or P.M.s I look forward to hearing from any and all readers!


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